Dragon Ball Sekai - A New Universe
by Saithis
Summary: (AU) Many years before the arrival of Raditz on earth, Baba receives a vision of the Saiyajins which sends the Earth spiraling towards a new destiny. This story features a completely divergent timeline with an altered history, racial traits/culture and new balance of power levels. Raditz arrives at Earth and finds them prepared for a fight, but is it enough?
1. Prelude

**Dragon Ball Sekai**

**Prelude**

Throughout time there are many timelines; throughout these many timelines are many alternate universes in which anything can happen. Not only may singular events, characters or results differ, but even the laws of physics themselves could be drastically different to those we know and understand. To meet the true definition of infinity, the universe has endless dimensions in every direction we can conceive and more, which in turn creates endless possibilities.. This is the story of one of them.

To tell this story properly, though, one should be aware of its beginnings. It all started many years ago, when a star fell from the heavens to the earth. That star's descent was no mere coincidence, its fate was to land here and it carried one of the last survivors of an alien race: a newborn infant hidden within a metal pod. His name by birth was Kakarot, but that name that would be uttered for decades to come. The child was found by Gohan, a powerful, skilled martial artist and student of the legendary Master Roshi. Gohan could not find the baby's parents and so he named him Goku and raised him as his own grandson.

Although Goku was a fierce child, violent by nature, old Gohan was an exceptional fighter himself and defeated the boy however often they fought. Any normal human would have been killed by Goku's temper tantrums or his indoctrinated need to kill, but one day the boy tripped during a fight with his grandfather. Goku's head was smashed against a rock and he fell into a deep coma for the better part of a week. Gohan feared he was dead, but in spite of all odds, Goku made a full recovery. He had forgotten all of the events of his life prior, including the Saiyajin indoctrination, and became a normal boy - more than that, he came back even stronger and more determined to learn how to fight!

Gohan died years later by the attack of a powerful monster, but not before teaching young Goku the basics of Roshi's Turtle Martial Arts. Goku would become a sweet and gentle boy, although his love for combat never truly faded. He was over eager to test his strength against any opponent or trial he could find, and no upbringing could suppress fully his Saiyajin warrior blood.

Years later the fateful day came. Returning home from hunting and gathering wood, Goku met a strange blue-haired woman named Bulma. She was the wealthy heiress of the Brief family, inventors of the Dynocap and brilliant scientists. Bulma was on a quest to find seven mystical artifacts: the Dragonballs, which could summon the Eternal Dragon who would grant one wish. Goku joined her on this quest, and they travelled across the world meeting many strange characters and making new friends. As they battled the greedy Emperor Pilaf, who sought to use the Dragonballs to rule the world, they travelled to strange locations and made new friends.

Early in their journey they rescued a strange Turtle and returned him home where, for the first time they met the enigmatic Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi. He in turn granted them the reward of a Dragonball he had found, and gave Goku the magic cloud Flying Nimbus which could be ridden only by the pure of heart. Along the journey they also met the shapeshifting pig Oolong, whose greed and gluttony was only matched by his cowardice. As repayment for his attempted kidnappings of various women, Bulma would force Oolong into servitude so that he could serve her needs on the long and difficult journey.

Our young hero would face many battles on his journey; first in a dangerous encounter with the dangerous desert bandit Yamcha and his shapeshifting cat Puar, and then with the Ox-King and his daughter Chi-Chi on Fire Mountain. As it turned out, Yamcha's weakness was his fear of beautiful women, something that Bulma certainly counted as. He was unable to resist her charms and would end up helping the group to find the Dragonballs, hoping to wish his phobia away. Ox-King too would eventually help the group as it became known he was a former student of Master Roshi and a friend of Goku's grandfather, Gohan.

They travelled to the castle of Emperor Pilaf where they were trapped and forced to breathe sleeping gas. Pilaf would steal their Dragonballs and summon the Dragon to make his wish while they were forced to watch from imprisonment. Goku used his exceptional talent to summon Roshi's legendary Kamehameha wave, a move he had only seen once before, enabling Oolong's small size to escape the cave. He would disrupt the wish by asking the Dragon for the world's most comfortable pair of underwear. Goku would catch sight of the full moon and transform into a destructive beast, the Oozaru, a giant ape that destroyed everything in its path. It would become clear to the others that Goku had unknowingly killed his own grandfather in this giant monstrous form, and they worked together to remove Goku's tail and save them from his rampage. The plan worked, although the Saiyajin's tail would regrow later.

Goku would eventually return to Master Roshi to ask him for training. Although it was difficult, he and a young monk named Krillin would eventually earn Roshi's approval and become his first pupils in many years. The two trained long and hard and began to transcend the limits of normal human beings, becoming strong, swift and disciplined.

Turtle Martial Arts focused on strength and endurance, both physically and mentally speaking, and Roshi expected his pupils to learn skill and discipline through the hard experiences of fighting in real life. To this end, they competed in the World Martial Arts Tournament, where Roshi disguised himself as the mysterious Jackie Chun. Through this his pupils easily made it to the finals, Roshi defeated Krillin with ease in the semi-finals and faced Goku in the finals.

Goku's exceptional natural strength forced Roshi to use every trick in the book, and just when it seemed he was victorious, Goku caught sight of the full moon and transformed into the deadly Oozaru. As Oozaru, he begun a rampage, destroying much of the Arena. Desperate to stop him, Master Roshi channeled all of his power into a massive Kamehameha aimed not at Goku, but at the moon itself. He was unsuccessful in destroying the moon, but the explosion charred the surface and kicked up so much ash that it was temporarily coloured black. Goku would revert to his normal form and although exhausted, Roshi was able to defeat his pupil.

Although Goku and Krillin were already exceptionally strong, Roshi could not let them win the tournament or else they would grow cocky. His plan of disguise worked, and Goku and Krillin would continue to train and work hard in the belief that there were other warriors out there who were even stronger than them. Goku would end up travelling to reclaim his grandfather's dragonball and became involved in a conflict with the Red Ribbon Army.

Although most of the Red Ribbon's warriors were not difficult for Goku to defeat, he faced one unexpected challenge that nearly killed him: Mercenary Tao. Tao was a legendary fighter who was said to be nearly the equal of Master Roshi and their fight left Goku on death's door while Tao was relatively unscathed. By training with the elder cat Korin at the peak of Korin's tower, Goku was able to gain the necessary abilities to defeat Tao and establish himself as one of the world's greatest fighters. With no other serious opponent in his way, Goku dismantled the entire Red Ribbon Army and recovered six of the Dragonballs.

Goku's abilities were impressive, and only further impressed when they travelled to Fortune Teller Baba to seek out the location of the seventh Dragonball, which was hidden from the Dragon Radar by the machinations of one of Goku's earlier rivals, Emperor Pilaf. Goku sought out the Dragonballs to bring back to life one of his friends who was killed during the battle with Mercenary Tao, and by defeating all of Fortune Teller Baba's warriors, he was successful.

Baba was impressed by Goku's strength, and waived the usual fee. As Master Roshi's older sister, she was imbued with many great powers and could travel the boundaries of life and death itself. However, even as Goku left to retrieve the ball, she saw many things about Goku's past and future, but knew that she could not share most of them or else Time itself may be disrupted. It was here that the first great alteration in the timeline began.

She could not tell Goku of the coming future events, but there was one she knew she could trust to keep the secret: her brother. The two did not get along, but she spoke to Roshi of Goku's past, his origin, and his probable future. She warned him of the Saiyajins, a powerful race beyond the stars; she could sense they were searching for more of their kind as their planet had been destroyed and their race scattered across the stars. Goku's seemingly unlimited strength came from his alien bloodline - it gave him a natural gift for fighting that no human had. Roshi realized that the world needed to be prepared for the inevitable. Goku's race was looking for him, and it was only a matter of time before they found him.

Although he knew the fight could happen tomorrow or a hundred years from now, he knew the world needed as many strong fighters as it could get. It was time to start training them, and to that end Roshi offered to tutor Yamcha. The youth was brash and arrogant, but he knew that Goku and Krillin both outclassed him. Rather than continue to be outclassed, he accepted the offer. Roshi took Krillin and Yamcha to continue their training, but he told Goku that he could not come. Not only had Goku reached a level where Krillin and Yamcha could not effectively learn by fighting him, but Roshi believed that Goku could learn more now through life experience than his training. Forbidden the use of the Flying Nimbus cloud, Goku walked, climbed and swam across the world, fighting against many opponents and training himself for the next World Tournament.

Roshi put his own students through many terrible trials, pushing Yamcha and Krillin to the breaking point. He would eventually force them to climb Korin's tower and there they trained under Korin for nearly half a year. Krillin and Yamcha learned the deepest secrets of the Turle Hermit school and they defeated many opponents in battle, but Roshi still wondered if this alone was enough.

Eventually the World Tournament came and the friends reunited. In addition to Goku, Roshi's alter-ego Jackie Chun, Krillin and Yamcha, the tournament had two new opponents by the name of Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu. They were the prize students of Master Shin, the Crane Hermit. Once Master Roshi's long-time friend, Shen had become black-hearted and cruel and was now his greatest rival: his students were trained to be brutal and vicious in their fighting against whatever nature they might have had. Crane Hermit Martial Arts were focused on skill and technique more than brute strength or speed, and this showed in Tien and Chiaotzu's incredible breadth of abilities.

It rapidly became a battle of pride between the two schools. Although there were two other finalists - the skilled and powerful King Chappa and the celebrity sensation Pamput - neither stood much of a chance against the superhuman abilities of the Turtle and Crane schools. When the confrontations between the two came, Krillin defeated Chiaotzu and Tien defeated Yamcha in a pair of painful, grueling battles. Krillin would lose to a Goku whose power had become incredible over the years and Roshi would willingly concede to Tien. Although the old master believed he could defeat the young warrior, he wished to convert him to away from Shen's and hoped that he and Goku would help train one another through their fight.

In the end, Tien and Chiaotzu realized the evil of their master and Tien refused to kill Goku when his master ordered it. Tien and Goku fought for the right to determine who was strongest, and although Goku in the end had a slight edge, Tien won the tournament on luck alone. As they found new friendship, Crane and Turtle schools effectively united in one goal, and Roshi's goals were growing closer to completion. He hoped that the physical training of his art combined with the powerful techniques of the Crane art would be enough to defeat the alien warriors when they did come.

The appearance of a new foe proved that it was not. By the machinations of Emperor Pilaf, a powerful warrior named King Piccolo had been awoken. Piccolo's minions would kill Krillin and steal Goku's Dragonball. Roshi and Shen had fought him long ago and Roshi's own master died in order to seal him away. Now they were forced once again to unite against the common foe. Piccolo's strength was inhuman, and though they thought him a demon the truth was far more deadly. Piccolo was half of an ancient Namekian who had travelled to earth. The ancient warrior sought to become holy guardian of the Earth. To do so, he forsook his own power and underwent a ritual that split his evil and good into two pure individuals.

Kami, who dwelled above Korin's tower in a holy lookout, was the good half. King Piccolo, who sought to rule the world, was the evil half. Although their powers were considerably weaker since that great internal struggle long ago, Piccolo was definitely the stronger and more dangerous of the two. He sought to revive his powers and youth through the Dragonballs. Goku fought against his minions, earning the trust and aid of Kami and his servant Mr. Popo, who helped to train him and allowed him to drink the Sacred Water, which helped strengthen him. In the end, Goku defeated and killed King Piccolo in a deadly battle for the fate of the world.

King Piccolo's last act, however, was to convert all of his remaining power and essence into a single egg: a single son. This Namek would be spit far into the wilds and raised by King Piccolo's las minion. With a new soul and his power freed from the restraints of the Ancient Namek's rituals, Piccolo Jr. would train every day of his life to eventually confront Goku at the World Martial Arts tournament. Namek and Saiyajin, unknowingly members of two of the galaxy's greatest warriors, clashed and fought in an epic battle. Goku narrowly defeated Piccolo and became champion for the first time in his history. Pleased with this result, Goku married Chi-Chi and settled down to a calm life in the mountains, far from civilization.

Through this time, Roshi worked hard. He continued to train, working with Krillin and Yamcha. He told Shen of the coming terror and convinced the old man to put aside their difference and work with him. Although it was a difficult effort, together they reunited their ancient school of Martial Arts and trained many new students together as one. With the help of Bulma, they built a new and powerful school based in West City near CapsuleCorp. He missed the solitude of Kame House, but knew that the fate of the world could rely on the strength of Earth's lesser warriors. As the years passed, his students continued to grow stronger. Shen and Roshi continued to feud, and it would not be long before their schools would split again. Although their grudge would keep their schools from uniting, the two had inevitably influenced each other. Adopting many of the others' training techniques, the Turtle and Crane schools had become very similar apart from a few key differences.

The peace would continue until at last the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament arrived. It seemed at long last that Goku would be reunited with his friends and that a new story would begin...


	2. A New Threat Arrives

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 1 - A New Threat Arrives**

* * *

Far from civilization, a star fell from the moonlit sky. Trailing downwards in a line of fire, it traced the skyline in a beautiful and graceful arc before crashing into the earth with an intense explosion. A great cloud of smoke roiled out of the ensuing crater. As the smoke cleared, a small metal sphere could be seen at the bottom, slowly cooling from the red-hot temperatures of re-entry. The pod hissed and opened and a tall figure stepped out, obscured by shadow and smoke.

"So, this is Earth..." The figure smiled to himself. "At last, it's time to bring you home, my brother..."

* * *

Today was a normal summer day in West City by anyone's standards, warm and sunny with a slight breeze. The great mass of humanity that populated it swarmed through the streets like ants, whether on foot or bicycle or in car. There was only one man here with the slightest inkling of what was to come, and even he did not expect it now of all times.

West City was even more bustling than usual as tens of thousands of foreigners had flocked into the city for their biggest event of the year: the World Martial Arts Tournament. Normally held once every three years, this year had seen a lack of participants and difficulty in selecting a site. It was through the influence of CapsuleCorp and Master Roshi that the event would continue, being hosted for the 24th time in its history.

"Yamcha! Yaaaaaaamchaaaaaaa!" A female voice called through the crowd. "Ugh, where is that man, I swear! I can't take him anywhere!"

Bulma ran her hands through her hair in frustration, looking around the crowd for a sign of her boyfriend. Registrations for the tournament were starting today and he had run off to get signed up, leaving her in the dust. Honestly, she didn't know what the boys saw in this thing anymore, the last time there had hardly been any competition for them and the finale of the tournament was always going to be a contest between Goku and Piccolo.

"YAMCHA!" she shouted again, turning a little red with frustration.

"Ehh, Bulma?" A distinct New York accent asked behind her. She turned in surprise to see a familiar, well-muscled woman pushing her way through the crowd. "Ha, it is you! Get out of my way you big lugs, move it!"

The woman punched one of the spectators square in the jaw then pulled out a gun, shouting threats at anyone in her way until she got to Bulma with a defiant grin. "Yeah, I knew it was you from the hair, who else could it have been? C'mon, the whole gang's here, the turnout is huge this year!"

Bulma didn't even have time to protest before the woman had seized her wrist. "Ow, that hurts! Be careful Launch! Where the hell are you taking me?!"

It only took a moment for the two to reach their destination: a small crowd of fighters near the sign-up desk. Bulma's eyes widened and a her angry scowl transformed into a smile at the sight of them all. Most of her old friends had been scattered to the winds, searching for adventure and training while they searched for opponents to fight. It was the first time in years she had seen most of them in one place and she had to admit that it was exciting.

"Hey guys, check out who I found!" Launch pulled Bulma forward and nearly off the poor girl's feet.

"Well hi guys! Gosh, it's been so long..." Bulma said.

As the chorus of greetings rang back at her, she looked around at the crowd. At the front, Master Roshi was tailored up in his usual fancy black suit and fedora hat. He tipped it politely to Bulma but she knew that behind those thick black sunglasses the pervert was probably already staring at her chest. Unfortunately, she was used to it and barely paid any attention to the old coot's unseen stares.

Then of course there were the fighters: Yajirobe the fat mountain man, certainly not the first person she'd expect to come. Tien and Chiaotzu were there too, and they wore the green and yellow of the Crane Hermit school even to this day. She was sure they hadn't spoken to old Master Shen in a long time, but she had to admire their loyalty to a man who had since refused to acknowledge their very existence. Then there was Krillin, of course, and it was shocking how little he had changed since she first met him. He was still as short and bald as ever, although the shape of his body and face had matured into that of a well-built warrior, not of a boy.

There were plenty of others as well, some of which she recognized, some of which she didn't. There was Pamput, the sensational celebrity fighter and actor. She was slightly surprised to see him here, and although he didn't wear Master Roshi's orange gi, he did seem to be part of the group. There was also King Chappa, a former tournament champion who had lost to Goku in both of the previous tournaments. He looked every bit the warrior, but she knew at this point that looks were deceiving when it came to Martial Arts. There were a couple dozen others in the group that she didn't recognize, all wearing Roshi's orange. The two boys she really wanted to see weren't here.

"So there's no Goku yet, huh?" She finally asked. "I wonder what he's been up to all these years, that oaf never visits us."

Roshi coughed. "He's fine, Bulma. I visited him earlier this year, to see what he's been up to all of this time and let him know about the new tournament. He said he'd definitely be coming, no matter what happened."

"It figures." Tien grinned. "Goku was never one to miss a good fight, and I'd bet anything that Piccolo will be here this time as well."

"P-Piccolo? You really...think so?" Krillin seemed to turn white as a sheet. "What if I get drawn against him? He's not human, I swear!"

"Relax, Krillin!" Roshi slapped Krillin across the head with his stick. "You have trained hard and fought well, you'll be ready for him. Fear is the greatest enemy of any Martial Artist!"

"But Master, I thought you said that pride is the greatest enemy of a Martial Artist?" One of the students Bulma didn't recognize piped up.

"Ehh?! Who said that? Are you questioning me?!" The old man turned and started shouting at the crowd of orange-clad students. "You should never talk back to your master!"

The group couldn't help but laugh as Roshi tried to discipline his students, swinging the cane around and yelling excitedly. This continued for a minute or so, but a worried Bulma looked over at the crowd, scanning for signs of Yamcha. She didn't know why, but she was worried...

* * *

"Hey, there you go!" Goku grinned as Gohan climbed up onto the fluffy yellow mass floating before him. "See, that's fun, isn't it?"

The little boy looked up at his father, then laughed and started to jump up and down on the cloud, bouncing on it as if it were a trampoline. A few paces away, a smiling Chi-Chi watched the boys play with a hand over their heart. _"So precious..."_ she thought to herself.

"I think he likes it!" Goku laughed and caught Gohan in mid air, scooping him protectively into one arm. "I'm surprised you're okay with me taking him to the Tournament, Chi-Chi. You keep saying how you don't want him to be a fighter or anything."

Her smile faded to a stern gaze. "That's because he won't be a fighter! Gohan is going to grow up to be a scientist, or maybe a lawyer or some kind of famous professor! I will not have my only son grow up to be a destitute thug!"

"Okay, okay!" Goku raised his hands defensively. "But I mean, surely it's a good idea if the boy can at least defend himself, right? I mean, you don't always pick when you're going to be in a fight."

Chi-Chi walked up to her husband and seized the young Gohan out of his arms. He was just a toddler, but he had a confused look on his face as he tried to make sense of the conversation. "Don't be silly Goku, of course he'll know how to defend himself! But I'm not going to let you be the one in charge of his self-defence training, or you'll take up all of his time and he'll never be able to make room for studies!"

Goku laughed and held the back of his head nervously. "Well, maybe...but you know, Master Roshi didn't just let us train our bodies, he also made us train our minds!"

"I'm the one in charge of any training Gohan gets to do and that's final! Ugh, honestly Goku...why are we talking about this _again?_ He's not even old enough to fight yet, let's go before we're late!" She tried to climb up on the cloud, but her body fell straight through the golden vapour as if it were thin air. "W-what?" She looked astonished.

"Wow, looks like you must have done something naughty!"

"...I'm fine, Goku!" She glared and stood up. "Thanks for asking! And so's our son, don't you care about him either?!"

"What? Of course I do, it was just a little fall. I took plenty of bumps when I was a kid. And look at Gohan, he's laughing - I bet he thinks it was fun!"

She glared more at him, but his innocent smile never faded. After a long moment of silence, she finally sighed and let herself smile a little. "Alright, I guess you're right. I guess you'll have to carry me in your lap on the way there, but if you let go of me..."

"Relax, I'd never let go of you Chi-Chi!" Goku jumped on the cloud and sat cross-legged so that his wife could fit comfortably in his seat. "Now let's go, we've got a tournament to sign up to!"

* * *

Somewhere in the barren deserts, hundreds of miles from West City, a lone figure sat in calm meditation. It would have been clear to any observer that he was no human: the green skin was the first dead giveaway. Piccolo, son of the Demon King, prepared his mind for the coming confrontation. Goku was certain to be at the next World Tournament, of that he was sure. He had spent his years training in preparation for this clash and he was sure that this time he would win.

Piccolo's eyes snapped open and he looked to one side. He felt something, a disruption in the very fabric of the universe itself. _"What was that?"_ he thought.

He felt it again, stronger this time. He could sense more clearly what it was now, a ki aura somewhere in the distance. It throbbed with an intense power like he had never felt before and, although he was ashamed to admit it, fear slowly crept into Piccolo's heart. It was coming straight for him.

In a flash almost too fast to appear, his new opponent appeared before his very eyes. The two stared each other down, but while the man showed nothing but calm, Piccolo was obviously half-panicked at the sight of the stranger.

"Hello...I'm looking for a man named Kakarot..." The strange man grinned. "Have you seen him anywhere, green man?"

"Green man?" Piccolo ground his teeth. "I have a name...and I don't know who you're talking about, stranger!"

"Hm, I see..." He frowned. "I would have expected him to have wiped out all life on this planet so far, our family were first class warriors after all. Tell me, Namekian, what is it _you_ are doing here?"

"What?" Piccolo looked confused. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, I was born on this planet, and I've never heard of anyone by the name Kakarot. What are you doing here?"

Piccolo's request went ignored as the stranger touched a device on his head and looked straight at the Namekian. "Ah...I see. You're in no place to ask questions of me, little man." He looked around, examining first the horizon, then apparently the ground, before stopping on a point.

"Oh? Well isn't this interesting...there are an awful lot of traceable power levels over there. Even those low ones could have given Kakarot some trouble as a child, so I suppose it's only natural that some stragglers survived and formed a resistance. It's a pity for you that I'm here to finish cleaning up my brother's mess."

"Y-your brother? Wipe us out? Who the hell are you?!" Piccolo shouted, adopting a fighting stance.

The fighter glanced at him with a very serious look, and a chill of fear ran down Piccolo's spine. He hated to admit it, but he could sense this man's power and it was unrivalled. There was a flash and the strange figure disappeared, just in time for Piccolo to sense his entire midsection rip apart with pain.

Piccolo tumbled back to the floor, certain for a moment that his entire stomach had been crushed by the brutal kick. Coughing up some purple blood, he tried to sit up but his muscles refused to work; the wind had been completely knocked out of him by the blow. The outline of the stranger's armour appeared in his vision above him, and sparks of energy began to form around his hand.

"You wanted to know my name? Sorry, but I don't do last requests." He raised his arm and pointed it at the wounded Piccolo, laughing with the kind of dark pleasure that even the green-skinned warrior couldn't muster up. "Say goodbye, weakling!"

The device on his face beeped and the stranger's face changed to one of surprise. "Hmm...another strong power level, and its moving fast...this must be Kakarot..." He grinned. "I'm not even going to waste my energy on trash like you. Disappear if you know what's good for you, or I'll be back to finish the job."

He tried to stand up as his enemy flew away with incredible speed, but his body wouldn't work. The once proud warrior Piccolo had a bruised honour and, worse still, he already knew that there was no way he could defeat this stranger alone. He needed help, and there was only one man who might have the strength to help him...he needed to get to the Tournament and fast.


	3. The Invincible Saiyajin

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 2 - The Invincible Saiyajin**

* * *

A terrible bright light raced through the sky, boiling away the clouds that touched it. The force of its passage was so great that it left a void in its wake, forcing the air around it to rush in with a calamitous crash, creating a deafening sonic boom. Most who heard it assumed it was a plane of some sort; no one could have dreamed that it was a man, or at least some resemblance of one, that flew through the sky.

The stranger continued at top speed, until at last he could see his prey before him. Someone flying through the sky ahead of him at an impressive speed, someone with a very high power level as well. Whoever it was, they were almost strong enough to challenge the newcomer...although the key word there was "almost."

Their flights intercepted in a burst of light and both came to a halt. The long-haired man's grin turned to a deep frown, and a growl leaked out of his throat. "What? Impossible, another one of you?!"

The traveler he had interrupted did not seem particularly surprised to see him, but was rather out of place nonetheless. It was yet another green-skin, but this one was old and decrepit, clad in robes of white and blue. The alien visitor did not know the truth, but this was none other than Kami himself, the Guardian of the Earth. It was no coincidence that the two had met.

"Ah...so you're finally here..." Kami locked eyes with him. "Saiyajin..."

"What?" His eyes widened momentarily, but then he smiled. "Ah, so you've heard of us...I guess Kakarot made an impact on this pathetic planet after all."

"Kakarot? I've never heard that name before, although I suspect I know who you speak of..." Kami frowned deeper. "Your kind have not changed, you're exactly the way I remember. I fought your ancestors across the stars centuries ago..."

The Saiyajin seemed to grow in anger for a moment, but then his face calmed. "I see...so you know of another Saiyajin on this planet?" He laughed. "Tell me where to find him and I promise to make your death quick, Namekian!"

Kami smiled a little. "You think I will be so easy to defeat?"

"No more games!" The Saiyajin warrior's body exploded into a white light as he adopted a fighting stance. "Either tell me where he is or I will beat the information out of you by force!"

The elder guardian's smile faded. "So be it..."

* * *

"Yamcha! Come back!"

The fighter's eyes were wide with panic as the throng of girls rushed past his hiding place, clamoring and fighting for position in the hopes of finding him. At last the final few disappeared and Yamcha exhaled in relief. He'd had quite the fan club following ever since his first tournament stint and the last thing he needed was for Bulma to see him with a pack of groupies hanging off his arms.

"That's a relief..." he dusted himself off. "Look at how many people have signed up so far, there must be hundreds! I don't think there's ever been a tournament with this many people before. I wonder how many of them are going to be actual worthy opponents..."

Slipping through the crowds cautiously, he finally found his way to the sign-in desk and registered himself without too much problem. He had a quick moment to look at the list of registered fighters, but there was no sign of Goku yet. That was disappointing, but he was confident that their long-time friend wouldn't turn up a chance to fight in another tournament. Besides, he was the reigning champion; what would a tournament be without Goku there to defend his title?

"Goku...where are you?"

* * *

Kami cried out in pain as a powerful blow threw him into the earth, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust and dirt. The Earth's Guardian wiped a trail of blood from his lip and struggled to stand, looking for his opponent. The Saiyajin was more than just strong - he was phenomenally strong, more than Kami could have ever predicted. The air behind him rippled as his opponent appeared and Kami turned to deflect the blow with his staff. Wood and speed alone were not enough to save him and the Saiyajin's strike simply shattered straight through the stick and landed straight in the chest of the elderly Namekian.

The Guardian's eyes widened and bugged slightly; the world began to spin around him and he coughed up a little blood, wobbling on his legs. "Y-you...cannot-"

A fist interrupted his speech with a decisive blow to the old Namek's face, sending him crumpling to the ground. The Saiyajin laughed a little and stood over his defeated opponent, the same cocky smile adorning his face. "You almost had me worried for a moment, you have an incredible amount of energy hidden in there...but at the end of the day, you're still just a fragile old man. You were no match for a true Saiyajin warrior."

_"This can't be...I thought I could stop him, but they're far stronger than I remember..."_ Kami thought to himself. "Tell me, alien...what is it you want with Goku? It's him you're looking for, isn't it?"

"Goku?" The Saiyajin frowned. "I do not know of this Goku. Is this some strange Earth name you've given to my brother Kakarot?"

"Perhaps..." Kami forced a weak grin. "...well, if you want to find out so bad, maybe you should be meeting him yourself instead of wasting time fighting me."

"Yes, maybe you're right..." The armoured figure raised his hand. A soft, pale yellow glow surrounded it, and soon a tiny sphere of ki appeared in his palm. "It's time to end this...you fought well for an old man, I shall at least grant you the dignity of a warrior's death. Just keep your eye on the birdie..."

"Wait!" Kami raised one hand. "I'll tell you where Kakarot is!"

The Saiyajin's eyes widened in surprise. He thought about this for a moment, then dismissed the energy sphere. "So you've decided to wise up and tell the truth, eh?"

The Guardian raised himself to his feet and nodded. "A-alright...I am certain that he will be at the World Martial Arts Tournament."

"World Martial Arts Tournament?" The Saiyajin's eyebrow raised in curiousity. "Explain what this is."

"It is a gathering of the planet's greatest warriors. The one you call Kakarot has fought here several times." Kami pointed at the horizon behind the long-haired warrior. "You have a device that detects energy levels, see for yourself. I'm sure you will see him and many others at this place."

All too eager to find his lost brother, the Saiyajin turned and activated his device, scanning the numerous power levels over the horizon. "There are dozens of warriors, but none compare to me...I find it difficult to believe that-" The eyepiece beeped as a new power level appeared. "Oh? Who is this...they're strong, and moving towards the tournament...very strong, even! Two lesser powers with it as well, this simply must be him!"

The Saiyajin laughed and turned back, only to find thin air waiting for him. The old Guardian, Kami, had completely vanished without a trace. "W-what? Where did that old fool go?! Impossible, I didn't hear him move at all!"

He growled, his eyes scanning the horizon but picking up nothing. No trace of his aura was picked up by the device. The Saiyajin swore in frustration and flew away without a word. _"Oh well, it doesn't matter...now I know where Kakarot is, we'll finish off this mudball of a planet together!"_

* * *

From the shadows of the forest below, Kami watched the Saiyajin disappear into the distance. One hand clutched his wounded chest, the other held on to a tree branch in order to keep his balance. _"That was close...I'm thankful that he doesn't seem to understand sensing ki, or I would never have escaped like that...but the entire earth is in jeopardy. I need a plan..."_

* * *

Dark clouds rumbled in the distance, flashes of lightning outlining the oncoming storm's bulk. West City stood bright and proud against the approaching wall of darkness, but the storm held more than just rain, wind or thunder: from the depths of its clouds would soon emerge the greatest threat humanity had ever faced.

"Do you see those clouds...there's a hell of a storm brewing..." Krillin commented, peering into the distance. "I don't know why, but it makes me awful nervous looking at it..."

"I know what you mean..." Tien replied. "There's something unnatural about it, like the air is full of a kind of some tension that I can't explain."

Bulma looked at the two with a dumbfounded gaze, then laughed and shook her head. "You two are just being paranoid, I can't feel a thing and everyone knows there's nothing better than a woman's intuition at times like this! You're probably just being paranoid after the last tournament."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Bulma." Master Roshi folded his arms behind his back and stared up at the clouds. "There's some kind of evil afoot sister, you'd better believe it. These tournaments seem to attract trouble and I guarantee this one will be no different. I'm sure the Crane Hermit at the very least will be along with another poor attempt to defeat the Turtle school in battle."

A bright flash of lightning lit up the sky in the distance, outlining the mountains in the distance. The group stared up at the storm for awhile, before Bulma looked down and caught sight of someone she was looking for. "H-hey, Yamcha!" She folded her arms. "So there's that damn boy, what does he think he's doing running off like that!"

"H-hey, does anybody else feel that?" Tien asked.

Everyone stared in horror at the approaching storm, which was almost over them now. Bulma ignored them and started to walk towards the registration desk, aiming to give Yamcha a piece of her mind. Lightning flashed and the sky grew dark...and somewhere in the clouds, a spot of white light appeared.


	4. Brothers, Reunite!

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 3 - Brothers, reunite!**

* * *

As a black storm raged in tumultuous fury overhead, bolts of lightning shot across the sky, tracing elegant patterns that linked the roiling clouds to the graceful skyscrapers of West City. Rain and hail began to fall heavily and across the entire Tournament ground, spectators shrieked and dove for cover. Bulma held her bag over her head and glared at Yamcha, who was staring up at the sky instead of responding to her. "Hey, are you listening to me buster? Yamcha? I SAID LISTEN!"

Bulma raised one hand as if to slap Yamcha, but the fighter's face momentarily twisted into one of horror. He grabbed Bulma's wrist with one hand and let the other arm wrap around her waist. "GET DOWN EVERYONE!" He shouted as he leapt with her towards a sheltered spot.

Like a bolt of lightning, a white flame descended from the sky with more speed and intensity than the human eye could detect. Dirt and stone alike crumbled and disintegrated under the force of the blow - when the flames dissipated, nothing but a seemingly human man stood in its place. He was tall and powerfully built, with a flowing mane of black hair and strange but well-crafted armour.

"Well well well...isn't this just the quaintest gathering you've ever seen..." The man grinned and looked around. "Tell me, is there anyone here by the name Kakarot? No? I didn't think so...what about Goku, does that ring any bells?"

Roshi visibly tensed, and the old master's body began to tremble slightly. The reaction did not go unnoticed by Raditz, who laughed. "Ah, I see it does! Does the name Goku strike that much fear into you? You must be quite the race of warriors, more than we imagined, to have made it this far with my brother on this planet."

Yajirobe squinted at the Saiyajin. "Brother? I didn't know Goku had a brother..."

"You have to get out of here! This man is dangerous!" Roshi yelled to his students, throwing the hat aside.

Yamcha moved towards Raditz and cracked his knuckles. "No way, you guys. He put everyone's lives at risk, and I know for sure Goku doesn't have a brother. This guy's nothing but a liar, and I'm going to prove it myself!" The cocky warrior charged at Raditz, fists glowing blue as he channeled the Wolf Fang Fist.

"Yamcha, no!" Roshi shouted too late.

Raditz did not even turn to face the human as the initial kick landed firmly in the Saiyajin's back, not even budging him. Raditz turned now to look at Yamcha; the human's arms erupted into a blue flurry of fist strikes, each one calmly dodged or blocked by the Saiyajin warrior. Yamcha continued for nearly twenty seconds before exhaustion started to set in and his movements slowed. Raditz struck back, landing a single punch to the throat and sending Yamcha skidding across the earth, clutching at his throat meekly.

"What are you waiting for, get out of here you fool!" Roshi called again, throwing aside his suit jacket. "I'll face this man myse-"

Roshi's eyes bugged out as the Saiyajin charged with seemingly impossible speed, planting his foot firmly into the old master's gut. "None of you are leaving, I'm afraid. If you left, that would ruin the surprise when Kakarot gets here."

"You...you bastard!" Krillin clenched his fists. "Let's go Tien!"

"Right!" Tien threw his cape aside and the two warriors charged at the Saiyajin. Both launched a flurry of blows, but nothing succeeded at piercing the alien warrior's defense until Krillin dropped low and swept the Saiyajin's leg out from underneath him. Raditz found himself falling for the first time since he landed on this planet, but his calm expression did not change. Krillin leapt at him to deliver a blow, but was struck away by a lightning-fast blur, sending him spiraling into the sky helplessly.

Raditz's tail swayed freely in the open, and all who knew Goku's secrets stared in horror. If there was any doubt in their minds until now, the presence of Raditz's tail had proven him to be truthful. Krillin came crashing down through a rooftop, sending a cloud of dust into the sky. The Saiyajin reoriented himself and cracked his neck casually. "Is this really the best that this planet can muster?"

"Try this on for size!" Tien shouted. Raditz turned and his eyes widened as an immense blast of energy overwhelmed him for a moment.

* * *

Far above the skies of Earth, Piccolo floated amongst the clouds, eyes closed in deep concentration. Through great willpower and focus he was able to see and sense far beyond the constraints of even trained warriors, to observe the battle that was going on merely by detecting the fluctuations in their energy. It was obvious to him that this newcomer held untold power compared to them. He couldn't be sure how much power the alien was holding back, but what he had now was enough to beat any warrior on this planet - even himself and Goku.

The Namekian clenched his fist in frustration, struggling to come to terms with what that could mean. He had plotted and trained for years to prepare for the day he could conquer the earth and now some stranger with no name and no background was ruining it all. This man, whoever he was, had to pay - that meant asking Goku for help, a prospect he did not relish.

Of course, they had fought side by side before, albeit only once. When the insane Garlic Jr. had summoned the Dragon in his quest for immortality, Piccolo had become part of the battle alongside Goku, a necessary alliance to defend themselves against the power of the immortal Garlic Jr. This didn't seem much different, only this time he might have to ask, something he wasn't at all happy with.

His hand strayed down to his ribcage and checked the bones tenderly. The cracks had mostly closed and reset and the bruising was beginning to fade, but the blow to his energy would take longer to heal. He had deeply underestimated the threat they were all in and paid for it. There was one other person he could go to for help, but in many ways that was an even more distasteful prospect than helping Goku.

As he thought the name, a flash of sensation struck him and he turned. Somewhere in the clouds, he could sense the man himself descending, along with two other moderate powers who were unfamiliar to him. It was time to see what kind of challenge his archrival could offer...

* * *

Kami materialised on the flat gardens of the lookout, floating for a moment in the air before his feet touched the ground. His strength faded and the elderly Namekian collapsed in front of the eyes of Mr. Popo, his faithful servant. The black-skinned djinn cried in horror at Kami's bloodied form and rushed to his aid.

"Kami, no!"

In spite of his terrible position, Kami smiled to the man who had been his groundskeeper for so long. "Do not fret, Popo. I will live, for the time being. I should have known better than to challenge a Saiyajin warrior at my age."

"You should have let me handle it, Kami. I would have-"

"You would have died, Mr. Popo. Even if your vow of peace did not hold you back, you would not be able to control a warrior as fierce as this one. The Earth has only one hope if he sets his mind to dominating us..."

"You mean Goku?"

Kami nodded. "I do...but also Piccolo. Alone they stand no chance against a Saiyajin elite, but together they might be able to wear him down. I need to recuperate and visit them, when I can. Do we have any of Korin's beans?"

"I don't think so...I can climb down and get some."

"Please do." Kami sighed softly. "I'm...I'm not going anywhere..."

* * *

The entire courtyard was enveloped in bright white light for a few seconds. All sound was ripped away by the intensity of the explosion until, at last, the light faded. A crater perhaps ten metres wide had formed. paving stones torn and ripped away. Rubble was strewn freely across the area, but the armoured figure of Raditz still stood tall. For once, however, he was breathing heavily and curls of smoke rose from his outstretched arms.

"That actually hurt..." Raditz winced, regarding the tall fighter with caution. "You're on another level compared to these pests. Tell me, have you fought Kakarot?" A thin smile appeared on his lips.

Tien was not smiling. "I have fought the one you call Kakarot many times. Goku is a fierce and proud warrior."

"Did he defeat you?"

Tien cracked his knuckles and removed his jacket, regarding the Saiyajin foe with caution, but calm. "Our greatest battle was an even contest. We drew, although I suspect that now he might be the better fighter."

Raditz's smile widened. "Good, then you will be an excellent measure of my brother's strength! Prepare yourself!"

The Crane warrior adopted a calm poise as the Saiyajin pushed off at him, cracking the ground with the force of the action. Two swift fists shot out at Tien and the human found himself barely able to deflect the blows. Tien shot out a kick in response but found himself struck in the midsection by a swift blow from the Saiyajin's fist. His eyes widened in shock, but Tien's willpower was sufficient to allow himself to extend his palm and fire an energy blast point-blank into his opponent.

The ensuing explosion had enough force to blow the Saiyajin several meters back and give Tien some badly needed breathing room. The human's stomach was visibly bruised and he coughed up blood, clearly badly injured by the sharp blow As the smoke around Raditz slowly cleared, the Saiyajin frowned, apparently unfazed. His loose tail curled around his waist like a belt. "Well, is that it human? Is that everything you've got?"

Tien growled and shot another blast at him, but Raditz deflected it with one hand. He charged another orb of energy, gritting his teeth together, but Raditz was again too quick and let blast of his own fly forth, striking Tien in the chest. Tien cried out in pain and was thrown backwards into the wall of a nearby building.

"Disappointing. I hope that Kakarot has improved considerably since your battle, or he might not be suitable for the coming mission..." Raditz wiped a smudge off his face. "Does anyone else want to try me?"

Bulma stared in horror, trembling at the sight of this alien's path of destruction. She scrambled backwards, trying to escape him, but it seemed like there was nowhere to go. Before her eyes, two of Master Roshi's students were felled, an then a third. All her friends were limp across the stones of the Tournament grounds. What could she do now?

Raditz, however, took no notice of her, nor of the remaining fighters, who had fled or were maintaining a safe distance. His scouter had picked up a larger power level growing near and he was not about to let his guard down so easily.

The source of power soared down to the earth from the skies above aboard a strange yellow cloud. Its source was a stern, unmistakably familiar face to all who saw it. A small smile crept onto Raditz's face as he viewed the man sat upon the cloud, whose arms were folded in casual disregard for the threat. Their eyes locked and did not move from one another, and Raditz instantly knew that this was his brother; this was a Saiyajin. Behind him, a woman clambered off the cloud quietly, holding a child and backing away slowly.

"Goku...watch out...he's too strong!" Bulma finally shouted a horrified warning.

Goku's eyes narrowed slightly as he climbed off the cloud, leaving his son to his wife's safe arms. "Chi-Chi, take Gohan out of here...hurry."

"So you're finally here, Kakarot...what a surprise." Raditz laughed a little. "Your power is significant indeed, just as expected from my brother."

"What...brother?" Goku's eyes widened. "I don't understand, who are you? Why have you attacked my friends?"

"Friends? These people are your friends?" Raditz's good mood faded quickly. "Why would a Saiyajin take such weaklings as comrades? They are not your equals in warrior prowess, how could they be? You were meant to take this planet singlehandedly, yet I imagined it was their unexpected stubbornness and not your soft heart that was at fault for the failure."

Goku looked confused, but his guard never dropped once. Raditz was impressed, but he wasn't about to admit it. "Tell me then...Goku..." His brother grinned again. "Do you have any idea where you came from and who you really are?"

"No." He frowned deeply. "Or at least not much. My grandfather said he found me in the mountains, and that I had fallen from the sky."

"From the sky? That's all he told you?" Raditz chuckled. "What an unexpected surprise, but it is not insurmountable...brother."

"Who are you? Why do you keep calling me that?"

Raditz's body exploded into a furious white flame and he shot forward so quickly that Goku barely had time to raise his arms and defend himself. The larger Saiyajin's arms collided against Goku's own in a ferocious clash of powers, but Goku was steadily pushed back by the overwhelming force of the Saiyajin's attack. Quickly realising that force would not be enough, he allowed himself to fall backwards and rolled, throwing the charging Saiyajin over and past him with the momentum.

Goku rolled back to his feet and turned, but had underestimated Raditz's speed and agility in the air. A ferocious kick wrapped in energy slammed into the side of his head and sent him skidding and tumbling across the ground, dazed and concussed from the sudden ferociousness of the attack.

"Still so young..." Raditz's voice echoed through Goku's spinning, disoriented head. "I am Raditz, and I am your brother. And that boy you sent away...he was your son, yes? Seek out the truth of your past, Kakarot. I will busy myself by getting to know my new nephew..."

Goku felt rage at his bold claim, but his muscles were drained of strength and as he tried to stand he stumbled and nearly toppled over again. Raditz was already gone, a fireball in the dark and stormy sky that faded out of sight soon after. Confusion set in, then came the anger. Striking the wall with all the force he could muster, he screamed in fury. Rain began to fall, and Goku's vision shifted and faded to black, sending him tumbling to the ground into a deep sleep.


	5. Goku's Dark Origins

**A/N:** I just wanted to thank everyone who favourited/followed and especially reviewed, this has just been a fun little project for me and it's nice to know that some people are interested in it. I wanted to confirm a common question which is that the Earthlings/Namekians (Piccolo especially) are going to have an ENORMOUS presence of importance in this timeline, as I wanted a world where everyone matters to varying degrees and few are forgotten. Even unlikely candidates you might not have thought of could become powerful warriors and key defenders of the earth. Not every element in this story will be about the ultimate battle of good vs. evil, but don't worry, I plan on having plenty of epic showdowns between titans that could decide the fate of the world, the galaxy or even the universe...

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 4 - Goku's Dark Origins**

* * *

"Goku..."

The Saiyajin's eyes cracked open slowly, struggling to adjust to the sudden light. He groaned and then suddenly sat up, oblivious to the bandages wrapped around his head. "Raditz! Where is he?!"

His surroundings became more clear: a hospital room, probably somewhere in West City. A group of relieved faces were there to meet him: Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Puar, Oolong, Roshi and even Bulma. It was the reunion he had wanted, but not under these circumstances: he remembered the stranger's last words. Raditz had his son.

Roshi was first to his side. "Goku, easy now. I didn't think it was possible, but he hits hard enough even to knock your head senseless. You've been out for three days now."

"Three days?" He rubbed at his head. "Damnit...I couldn't stop him. Did he kill anyone?"

"Thankfully not." Yamcha looked irritated. "He's fast, and insanely strong, but once you showed up he seemed to lose interest in annihilating us. He left right after knocking you out."

Goku clenched his fists. "That bastard...that bastard has my son!"

This was news to the group, who looked to each other. "You...you have a son, Goku?"

"Yes...with Chi-Chi. We named him Gohan, after my grandfather...and now he's in the claws of that monster! I have to find him!" Goku flung himself from the bed, moving towards the window, but was grabbed by Tien before he could open it.

"Stop, Goku! He's too strong for any one of us to beat, and there are things we need to talk about. It seems like there's more to this whole story than meets the eye, and we can't just rush in. Moreover, there's something that Master Roshi needs to tell you - that he probably should have told you years ago. Also, it's probably not wise to go jumping out of windows when you're not even wearing anything decent."

Goku stared into Tien's eyes with a cold expression, before he finally relented. "Okay, if you say so Tien, but can we get something to eat first? I'm starving." His stomach growled loudly to punctuate the desire.

* * *

Somewhere in the darkness of the mountains, Gohan cried. The Saiyajin's spaceship, though he wasn't fully aware of that as its purpose, was an impervious cage for a child as small and fragile as he. Try as he might, he pushed against the glass window for the outside, longing for the prone figure of his mother.

Sniffing, Gohan wiped the tears away and tried to think. He vaguely remembered how Raditz had come for them and his father was nowhere to be seen. Gohan, son of Goku, felt scared and helpless. It was not the first time he had come into danger's way - their encounter with the evil Garlic Jr. had been an equally dangerous situation - but now there was no sign of his dad nor any of his friends.

Raditz had called him 'nephew'. This was interesting, or it would have been if Goku had been a little older, but all he could think of was the man's coal black eyes and intense stare. It was the look of a predator - cold, black-hearted and merciless; three traits that suited an elite Saiyajin warrior of their family.

After a few more attempts to escape, Gohan slumped back into the seat and folded his legs, hugging them tight as he slipped into a ball. Saiyajin...the word rung into his mind and he couldn't forget it. Saiyajin...

The face of Raditz appeared suddenly in the window, startling the boy. The older Saiyajin tapped the button on his scouter and gritted his teeth, growling subtly as the display fluctuated wildly, varying from around 10 to a peak of 242. "It's incredible, at your age my power was just a fraction of his...Kakarot's too, I imagine. Here on earth, with this weak gravity and cushioned, delicate life...how can he exhibit so much power?"

His ears twitched slightly as Chi-Chi rose behind him. He smiled slightly as the scouter also detected her power, leveled off at a much stabler 147. She was a powerful woman by this planet's standards, standards which were held surprisingly high given the gravitational pull and lack of presence in the galactic community. Unsurprisingly the two strongest mortal warriors were Kakarot and the younger Namek, who he believed was named King Piccolo or Ma Junior (his research was hurried and unclear). They were on par with the average Saiyajin and Namekian warrior, implying that their potential was much higher.

Chi-Chi charged at him with a battle cry, intent on leveling a world of hurt onto the Saiyajin's turned back. He shifted to one side as her strike came in, deftly dodging it. Three more strikes came, each far too slow to hit the mark. Already tired of the play, Raditz seized both of her arms at the wrists and locked them tightly, glaring into her eyes. Chi-Chi glared back, defiant to the end.

"I don't care what happens to me, but let my boy go!" She yelled. Using his grip on her for leverage, she swung her body up and brought her foot directly into his chin, striking it with all of the strength she could muster. It was sufficient to knock Raditz's head back, but his grip never loosened, nor did his expression change. She planted both feet against his chest and pushed with all her strength, twisting and trying to escape, but she couldn't do it.

"I would kill you, woman, were you a less fortunate one from a less fortunate planet." Raditz growled. "Cease your futile struggle, before you get hurt. I am not going to hurt you or your son unless absolutely necessary, do you understand?"

Chi-Chi was making no progress of prying herself loose, something she could have done even against Goku with this long to try. She slumped in surrender; it was clear that Raditz was exceptionally strong and fighting was not going to achieve anything for her right now. Once she did, Raditz released her and turned back towards her pod, as if she was unimportant to his considerations.

"What do you want with us?" She asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"For your husband...he is my brother. It is not what I want, but what our lord wants...Prince Vegeta needs all Saiyajins reunited, and now that he is entangled with you, I must use you as leverage. I have no intent of harming you, it is not in Saiyajin honour to lay hand upon family, even if they are..." he wrinkled his nose a bit at the thought. "...human."

"If..." she turned a little pale. "If you're not human...then my Goku...he's an alien?!"

Suddenly it all made sense - his bizarre strength, insane appetite, the tail that continued to regrow, his inability to cease eating...his love for fighting...

That didn't mean Chi-Chi was any better prepared to handle it. She collapsed to the floor and began to sob quietly, frightened and confused. This was all too much for her to deal with.

* * *

Even in so dire a situation, the old comrades shared laughter for the first time in years. They enjoyed a good meal together and did their best to forget the darkness that had descended on earth for just a few short hours. Still, no good thing could last, and the inevitable discussion came all too soon.

"Goku...what Tien said before is true. We do need to talk." Roshi frowned.

Goku sat back in his chair and patted his bulging belly contentedly. "Is it about Raditz? He said he was my brother, right? How does that work?"

"This might be hard to hear, Goku..." Roshi looked to the others, then sighed. "...but you're not exactly human, not even a bit human. You're an alien."

"An alien?" He blinked. "What like, you mean from outer space? I thought those were made up?"

"Of course they're not made up! What are you, dense?" Roshi groaned. "Your grandfather didn't just find you in the mountains, he found you in a spacecraft. You're a Saiyajin, or so Baba claims - that man is one of your kind, and he came here to find you."

Goku seemed to absorb this information. "Okay, I guess that kind of makes sense...it explains the tail, for one!"

"He's taking this awfully well..." Krillin muttered to Bulma, who nodded intently.

"But if that's the case, why did he fight you? Why did he fight any of us? Why didn't he just come to meet me?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but we do know a few things...the Saiyajin homeworld was destroyed years ago. You're one of the last of your kind, and we know that they are a race of warriors, proud ones at that. If I had to guess...he came to the tournament to gauge the strength of our race." Roshi nodded, as if agreeing with himself.

Tien groaned. "It makes sense, all of the Earth's strongest fighters were there, and in our first showing to an alien race we blew it. Now everyone's going to know how weak we are..."

"We'd be weaker, Tien, were it not for Baba's vision. I'm sorry Goku, but you need to know that my sister and I have known about this for many years now, and have been working to train and prepare for his inevitable arrival." Roshi said.

"Well gosh, I don't really mind that." Goku had found a few unclaimed table scraps and was chowing down again. "I just want to beat this Raditz guy, I guess he's my brother, and teach him a lesson for taking my son and wife and messing with my friends. He didn't kill you, so I guess he can't be all that bad."

"There's one more thing you need to know, Goku... there is an ability we fear he has; an ability all of your race may share." Roshi shifted uncomfortably. "How I wish that I had the power to actually destroy the moon and not just obscure it...but such a feat seems impossible for even the strongest of warriors..."

"The...moon?" Goku tilted his head. "What are you talking about, master?"

"Goku...there's something I need to tell you about Gohan - your grandfather, that is. I don't think you're going to like it..."

* * *

"Kami-sama! Come quickly!" Master Popo's voice echoed through the lookout. "We have an unexpected guest!"

The elder Namek marched through the halls with purpose, already well aware of his counterpart's presence. He was not sure what had brought Piccolo to the lookout, somewhere his father would have never stepped, but it was a confrontation he did not look forward to. As he stepped out into the light, the caped frame of Piccolo Jr. was abundantly clear, looming over Popo's squat figure.

"There you are old man. For a second I was worried you'd broken a hip or something."

"Very droll, Piccolo." Kami frowned. "Why have you come here? Is it the Saiyajin?"

Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "Saiyajin? Remember that I do not have all of my father's memories, although I admit the name sounds familiar..."

"His name is Raditz, and I suppose there is much we must share. He is Goku's brother, and considerably more powerful than either of you. The Saiyajins come from a planet far from here, or did before it was destroyed, and now they are scattered across the stars. They were in antiquity one of the three Great Warrior species of The Galactic North. It will not be easy to defeat him; yes, you will need Goku's help."

Piccolo gritted his teeth together, angered by the old man's intuition. "How is it that you can answer my interrogation before it's even begun?"

"Your father's soul still rests inside you, just as we both know you are your own man. You are a Namek and a half, and while I cannot predict you as well as I could him, I still have a great insight into what you are thinking and feeling. You are still my other half." Kami smiled. "Perhaps someday you will come to realise that we are one and the same, and you will be the better Namek for it."

The younger Namek spat. "We are nothing alike." He turned and pushed Popo out of the way almost deliberately, before taking flight.

Kami noticed, however, that his younger counterpart was headed in the direction of West City. His smile widened - the Earth had a chance after all...

* * *

The night was an unpleasant one for half of the Earth's best chance. Goku was a powerful warrior, but no amount of physical or spiritual strength could defend against the pain of loss. Wracked with the guilt of letting Chi-Chi and Gohan be captured, he also faced the terrible revelations brought into his life by this Raditz's arrival. The ape...the ape beast that killed Grandpa Gohan - it had been him all along.

'Am I a monster...?' Goku wondered, looking at his palms. After a brief idle stare, the hands clenched in anger. 'No...Grandpa's spirit was happy and rested, it isn't my fault. I never meant to hurt him, and with my tail gone for good thanks to Kami's spell, I don't think it will be a problem any more...'

Part of him doubted. 'How can you be so sure?'

That was a hard one to answer. "I'm not really...but I know my Grandpa wouldn't want me to be unhappy, and he definitely wouldn't want me to leave Chi Chi and Gohan out there alone in his grasp..." He muttered.

It took only a couple seconds to pull on his orange training gi, the symbol of Kame displayed proudly upon his back. Checking that his power pole was securely fastened, he hopped out of the window and landed on the grass of the yard, ready to make out on his own. A smarter man might have realised that they were expecting this, and he found himself face to face with most of his old friends; they looked unimpressed at his attempt to sneak out.

"Going somewhere without us, Goku?"

"He's my brother, I need to handle this on my own." Goku looked at them seriously. "Besides, he could have killed you, I can't take that kind of risk."

"No way, Goku. This isn't just your fight." Yamcha punched his own palm aggressively. "I'm going with you, this bastard did a number on us and we've been training for this fight for years. There's no way I'm going to let myself be beaten just like that. We're coming with you, whether you like it or not."

Goku saw the stern faces of his friends, and realised that there was nothing he could do to stop them from joining in this fight, as much as the thought of losing them pained him. "Okay...okay fine. Just be careful, alright?"

"Where are you even going?"

"Back home, to the mountains...I want to find the place where Grandpa Gohan first found me...I want to find that spaceship." Goku clenched his fist. "Then I'm going to find Raditz and finish this once and for all..."


	6. Hunting for the Past

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 5 - Hunt for the Past**

* * *

Drip. Drip. Drip. The sound of water had nearly driven Raditz to madness, but it was the quickest, safest place he could think of to shelter the boy and ensure he would not escape. His mission to this planet had become considerably more complicated since he landed on the planet, and to make matters worse Prince Vegeta was awaiting his report on the planet and Kakarot's status - his highness did not like to be kept waiting.

As the holoprojector of his pod revealed the figure of the prince, Raditz bowed and lowered his head. "Prince Vegeta, I have arrived on the planet Earth and begun my mission..."

"That your mission is not already over tells me there is a 'but', Raditz. Tell me, what happened that you are not already on the way home with Kakarot?"

"Kakarot failed his mission, he in fact has no memory of who he once was. This planet has deceived our surveyors, it seems that they have the ability to hide their true power levels and to raise them when in battle. He would have been unable to defeat them as a child, and now as an adult he has adopted their customs and ways."

"This is troublesome, but he is still a Saiyajin; I assume you can lure him with a fight, and I trust that an Elite warrior such as yourself can handle a planet full of measly earthlings?"

"I can defeat them, your highness." Raditz looked up. "But...there is something you need to know. Kakarot has had a son, one of his blood."

This did catch Vegeta's interest, as one of his eyebrows perked at the suggestion. "A son, you say? There is a Saiyajin woman on Earth?"

"That's just it, my Prince. I have spent these past few days observing and researching this world and its toughest fighters, and it seems the mother of the boy is an earthling. She is strong, stronger than most of her species, but still no Saiyajin."

Vegeta was silent, and Raditz wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad. Finally, after a long pause, the Prince chuckled slowly. "This is fortuitous, Raditz. You have uncovered a secret weapon, something thought long lost since my ancestors led us out of the ruins of our homeworld all those thousands of years ago. I am changing your mission. You are not to kill any of the Earthlings unnecessarily, but I wish for you to do your utmost to bring Kakarot back into our fold. We need him if this plan is going to work."

"What will you be doing, my lord?"

"I have a job to complete with Nappa, then we're going to chase up some rumours of a Saiyajin pirate band on the border of the West Quadrant. While we're busy there, I want you to try and make contact with another Saiyajin believed to be operating in your area, his name is Turles - according to the database, he's a distant relative of yours and I'm sure he'll be most useful in bringing Kakarot over."

"Of course, your highness. I will do everything in my power to make it so. I am transmitting my report of the planet's strongest warriors, hopefully it will be of some use to your plans. Is there anything else?"

The report flashed up on screen, displaying pictures, maximum power levels and (if known) the name and race of the warrior in question. The information gathered by Raditz in such a short time had been impressive. It had long been held that the Saiyajins were not an overly clever race, but the truth was far from it. When it came to fighting and wars, they showed a deep cunning and ability to discern details about their enemies. A Saiyajin warrior took pride from disassembling his enemies piece by piece.

"I see...two of the power levels on that planet are near your own strength, are they not?" Vegeta frowned. "Can you handle this on your own?"

"One I already encountered and defeated with ease - an old man, a Namekian in fact, who tried to play with fire and got burned. I was concerned about the other, who appears to be some kind of spirit, but according to my research the fool has taken a vow of peace and will not willingly fight. With those obstacles breached, I do not foresee any particular problems in administering my will."

Vegeta laughed a little. "Very well then, I will trust your judgment. Just remember what I said about Turles - whatever happens with Kakarot, we cannot allow veteran warriors to slip through our grasp."

"As you command, my Prince." Raditz bowed. The holoprojector flickered and vanished, leaving the Saiyajin momentarily alone to his thoughts. It would not do for a Saiyajin warrior, an elite especially, to display doubt in the face of his sovereign, but he was truthfully concerned about taking on a planet of so many powerful warriors all by himself. He needed a plan, but with Vegeta's orders not to kill if possible, his life just got considerably harder...

* * *

"Do you think he can do it?" A low, gruff voice rumbled.

Vegeta took a long drink from the cup in front of him, relaxing in the devastated house of the Saiyajins' latest victims. "Do what?"

"Beat that whole planet on his own? Usually we'd call in a team of warriors for something like that..."

Vegeta looked to his companion. Nappa was nearly twice his height and rippled with muscles, yet boasted nearly half his intellect. Before the catastrophe claimed their homeworld, Nappa was appointed Commander of the Royal Guard - not for his cunning, but rather for his great power and dogged loyalty. He also held the post of General of the Saiyajin Armies, a luxury title that Lord Frieza had permitted them. As their ranks grew in secrecy, perhaps someday the title would mean something.

"If we are to rise from the ashes as a stronger race, Nappa, we must face great challenges. Either he will win or he will die, that is his challenge to face as a man. If he dies, then I suppose he was not the right man for the job after all."

Nappa laughed a bit. "You're a pretty coldblooded guy, what happened to this 'every last Saiyajin' thing you kept telling him about?"

"Means to an end, Nappa...it's all means to an end..."

* * *

Goku smiled to himself as the wind whipped through his hair, soaring through the sky like a bird atop his Flying Nimbus. Behind him, a bulky yellow airbus with the Capsule Corp. logo lumbered along, barely able to keep up with the mystical cloud's abilities. The vast mountainous landscape was unfamiliar to most, but within these wild untamed lands, Goku had grown up a happy young boy.

Not even painful memories could stop his enjoyment of being home again. Their old home had been untouched since their arrival - Goku seriously doubted Raditz had any idea where it was - and it didn't take them too long to find the mountain Goku claimed to have been found upon. There were no telltale signs from the air, but he was sure this was it.

"Goku, this is insane, how are we supposed to find this thing? It's like a needle in a haystack, none of the scanners in this bucket are capable of picking up this kind of thing!" Bulma yelled, waving out the window.

He wasn't paying attention, his eyes darted from tree to tree as he flew. Suddenly, a flash of insight struck and the Saiyajin began to rapidly descend, homing in on one of the less stable looking slopes. Before any of his companions could say so much as a word, he cupped his hands and brought his chi aura around him, channeling it with all of the force he could muster. Raw energy danced about him until he released the kamehameha wave towards the mountainside.

At first the beam struck the earth, leaving no visible reaction. Then the ground cracked and bulged unnaturally, first crumbling and then exploding in a shower of blue light as the kamehameha's intense energy tore a large crater into the mountain. The unstable mountainside began to shiver and crack, but Goku was fast enough to spot what it was he wanted: the freshly revealed shape of the pod.

Using the Nimbus for speed, he darted down into the crater and clasped the ship with both hands, hauling it up over his head in an impressive show of strength. The metal was heavy and extremely durable, but not so great that he could not lift it. Seconds later he was out, and none too soon; the mountain collapsed into a giant rockslide that pummeled every tree in its path and soon filled the crater.

"That was pretty dangerous..." Goku sighed in relief. "But at least I got this thing back."

The Capsule Corp craft pulled up alongside him, slowing to a hover so that Bulma could properly lean out and have a look at him, her eyes wide with excitement.

"Wow Goku, is this it? It even looks like a spaceship! I'm so excited!"

Krillin, of course, was less impressed. "What, you think that little old thing could have carried Goku? No way it'd hold enough food for a trip!"

"How did you find it?" Tien asked.

"I'm not really sure...I just kinda remembered it being on this mountain, then my gut said it had to be around here somewhere."

Goku lowered himself down to the ground so that he could set the pod onto the newly laid rockbed. The Capsule Corp vehicle landed shortly after and his friends piled out, eager to see whatever discovery he had made. The pod was clearly alien in design, thankfully closed so that rocks and dirt had not spilled into it over time. Near the sealed door was a control console and Goku reached out to it. His fingertips barely brushed the controls before it hissed and cracked open, emanating the audible hum of a vehicle whose power has been restored.

"Error: Systems Malfunction. Batteries shut down to conserve power. Triggering distress code SAY-J1 Hello Kak-." The pod stated as it tried to boot up. Mid-sentence, the power died again and Goku was left disappointingly unaware of his origins. He pulled the door open but still saw no sign of the clues he needed.

"Nothing yet, Goku?" Bulma peered her head at it. "Oh my gosh, look at this thing! I'd love to take it apart in a lab."

"You can have it, Bulma...but first I need to know what that voice was saying. Can we take this back to your place and get it fixed?"

"It'd be a pleasure." She grinned. "Let's get out of here!"

* * *

**A/N:** Partially on request, partially because I'd enjoy it, I've attached the power levels collected in Raditz's reports of the earthlings. It is not fully accurate to the TV or manga version's power levels because of the way this timeline has changed, and may end up including some surprises which I'll go into later in greater detail. It also has to do with raw ki power and not skill or physical conditioning, nor factors like weighted training clothes. For example, Yajirobe is rated surprisingly strongly for people who weren't fans of the DB series compared to others, but is cowardly and overweight, limiting his ability.

**Mr. Popo:** 1,029  
**Kami:** 935  
**Piccolo: **428  
**Goku:** 416  
**Yajirobe:** 388  
**Tien:** 382  
**Krillin:** 327  
**Nicky:** 301  
**Yamcha: **299  
**Ginger: **292  
**Sansho: **270  
**Gohan:** 242  
**Tao:** 227  
**Korin:** 190  
**Master Roshi: **183  
**Master Tora: **179  
**Master Shen:** 165  
**Chiaotzu: **162  
**King Chappa:** 156  
**Pamput**: 151  
**Chi-Chi:** 147  
**Hercule Satan:** 119


	7. Unlikely Alliance

**A/N:  
**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed/followed/favourited! Just as a note to questions, I feel it'd be a little too early to disclose Vegeta's motives or plans, but he's no fool and the pride and restoration of the Saiyajin race are incredibly important to him, so it's certainly a possibility. That doesn't mean he's likely to take a moral approach to whatever it is he does have planned, and he's still selfish and egotistical. As for the Saiyajins, it seems relatively obvious by now that my approach to them grants a very peculiar sense of honour that goes beyond simple warrior pride. They have plenty of emotions of their own, and I feel it is important to portray them as being much more than just mindless fighting machines, even if they are culturally stoic and reserved.

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 6 - Unlikely Alliance**

Capsule Corporation was alight with noise over the new arrival. Dr. Briefs and Bulma were hard at work studying the alien ship, which remained remarkably intact despite so many years out in the wilderness. This was the discovery of a lifetime, one that could propel human technology ahead by hundreds of years, and Capsule Corporation was first on it.

Goku paced back and forth while the two geniuses worked to uncover the device's secrets. It was hard for someone like him to wait while his family were in the hands of the enemy. He wasn't used to being on the backfoot like this, forced to sit idly by and wait for a plan of action - he wanted to go and find them, but had no idea where they were yet. Across the room, Krillin and Yamcha relaxed on the chairs, but had equally grim, silent faces.

"Goku!" The door swung open, revealing the smiling face of Bulma.

"Did you get it working?" He smiled eagerly.

She shook her head, and he sagged visibly. "Oh don't get like that, science doesn't happen instantaneously, you know. We did figure out how the ship is powered, and boy is it a doozy. I won't go into the details, you won't understand it anyway, but suffice to say it's going to take us about a day to get enough juice into her to to feel confident starting her up. In the meantime, I found another bit of good news! Here, take this."

In Bulma's hand was an all-too familiar device: the Dragon Radar, or something quite similar to it. The screen looked different and the controls slightly more complex, but Goku figured he could still operate it. A single click later and the display hummed to life, displaying an outline of the world and flashing the current location versus the location of the balls.

"Great! With this it shouldn't be too hard to find Gohan and Chi-Chi. I know she's clever enough to hold onto our Dragonball no matter what happens. Hey, this thing looks different, what have you done to it anyway?"

She winked at him. "The details are a company secret, Goku! But you're right, it is different. I've been able to significantly increase the resolution and range and improved the user interface, such as including the map for accessibility. Over the years and years of searching for these things, I've also been able to pin down mild but distinct fluctuations in the energy signatures of each individual Dragonball. If you'll look, the screen should display not just the presence of a ball or balls, but also the number."

It was no idle boast; Goku checked each ball and soon found the Four-Star that now belonged to his son. With deep concentration, he was able to confirm the presence of the not inconsiderable power of his brother in a similar direction.

"That's pretty cool, Bulma...but are you sure it's going to take a whole day? I need to get to them as soon as possible..." Goku frowned.

"I'm sorry Goku, but that's the fastest we can safely do it. We don't fully understand the technology this thing is built upon, and with the kind of power reactor we're talking about we simply can't take the risk of it overloading. If we hit any breakthroughs that make this faster, you'll be the first person to know."

"Gah, I can't take this waiting..." Goku complained.

Krillin jumped up from his chair. "Hey, I've got an idea! It's been a long time since you and I sparred, Goku, why don't we have a go at it again?"

This did bring a grin to the Saiyajin's face. "You're on, Krillin! I can't wait to see how much stronger you've gotten since our last fight!"

* * *

Far from Capsule Corporation, ancient ruins crumbled in silence, their dark frame set against a dawn sky. What had once been an epic and mighty castle had been torn apart, devastated by the intense energies of some dark ritual. The scenery did not particularly interest Raditz, but his research had led him down the path of discovery. He was strong, but these people seemed to be able to grow, flex and hide their powers at whim and he was outnumbered. Even a Saiyajin could be flexible when it came to battle, and Raditz was not too proud to find help.

The three warriors lurking within the ruins seemed blissfully unaware of his presence, enjoying the flesh of some freshly caught bird. This was already something that displeased Raditz - he had hardly made his approach a secret, even if he had arrived from the sky. After a few moments of waiting, he flicked a rock down the rubble with his toe.

Sansho, Nicky and Ginger all turned from their food to face him, surprised at his sudden appearance. "Who are you? What is it you want?"

"Ah, so you're finally paying attention. Good. I'm afraid I don't know you three by name, but I see you have impressive powers - some of the greatest on this planet. You don't seem particularly human either - tell me, where are you from?"

The three ground their teeth together, ready for a fight, and did not acknowledge the Saiyajin's question at first. He looked all too familiar, a shade of the black-haired man they had fought just a year earlier - the one whose boy had cast Garlic Jr. into the Dead Zone and led to the devastation of these ruins.

"You're the one who has snuck into our home, you tell us who you are first!"

He laughed. "Audacious, aren't we? I shall humour you. I am Raditz of Prince Vegeta's realm, son of Bardock the Wise, warrior of the Saiyajin Royal Guard."

"Never heard of you." Ginger chuckled. "I am Ginger, and these are my fellow Lords, Sansho and Nicky. Together we are some of the last surviving warriors of the Makyo Star. Since you have seen fit to intrude on our dinner, you realise of course that you will not be leaving this place alive..."

Sparks of ki flashed around the trio as their heavy cloaks flew free, their muscles expanded and popped, and their power levels rose considerably, with Ginger's reaching nearly 400. Raditz was impressed, they had hid a full quarter of their power from him, and he wondered just how high the depths of his brother and the Namek's energies could go.

The three began to leap and jump up the rubble at him, the largest of the three simply charging straight up it on foot, bursting through bits of masonry as if it were nonexistent. Unimpressed by their inability to fly, Raditz simply maintained a neutral stance, waiting for their approach. At their power levels, he could potentially take damage from their combined strikes, but he felt it necessary to display his dominance.

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you can have..." He tail flicked eagerly at the thought of battle. "It's just as well, you know, I was getting bored! No killing the earthlings, he says?! Ha!"

Sansho was first to close in and leveled a mighty punch straight at Raditz's jaw. The Saiyajin lowered his head and let it meet the blow full force. Grinning at the weak impact against his tough skull, he seized Sansho's arm in both hands and twisted, flipping him over his shoulder and driving the Makyan warrior into the rubble with an intense throw.

Ginger and Nicky came screaming from the sky, flashing swords in their hands. There wasn't much time to react, but it was enough for a Saiyajin. Forming simple ki orb in one hand, he shot it at Nicky while turning towards Ginger. Kicking off with one foot, he brought his fist into the opponent's gut just microseconds after the ki detonated on Nicky's form.

Raditz dusted off his armour as the two defeated warriors fell into the rubble silently, no match for his abilities. His tail curled around his waist again, satisfied enough at having fought, even if it was no challenge. "Your techniques are sloppy, but I suppose there is potential."

After nearly a minute, Sansho was the first to rise. Soon after, Ginger and Nicky made it to their feet, and it was clear they were debating what to do about the warrior. Raditz was unsure if they could communicate telepathically or if they were simply too winded or afraid to speak, but either was he grew bored of the silence.

"If you are done, I am not here to kill you. Quite the opposite, in fact - I'm looking for a band of warriors willing to enter into the service of his highness Prince Vegeta." Raditz grinned. "Tell me, have you ever met a warrior named Goku?"

* * *

Most of Roshi and Shen's students were present in the huge gardens of Capsule Corp, engaged in mock combat or watching their fellows train and prepare for the coming conflict. Although their combined schools had acquired nearly a hundred students, only a handful were seen as capable of facing the coming trials and returning alive. The sparring between Goku and Krillin was seen as the highlight for many; once rivals in childhood, the two had grown into best friends and it warmed Roshi's heart to watch them doing what they loved.

However Krillin struggled, though, he seemed unable to land a serious blow on the man who was like a brother to him. Goku had improved considerably, although not as much as Roshi had hoped. It seemed like peace and family had somewhat softened his heart, and settling down had slowed the growth of his abilities considerably. From what he had seen, his star pupil would not be any match for this Raditz even with the help of his students...

After the latest in a long series of exchanges, Krillin finally backed off, panting heavily with his arms in the air. "Alright, that's enough Goku, you win. Gosh, you really are incredible, I couldn't lay a finger on you! At least now I know that you've been cheating the whole time, being an alien and all!"

"Hey, that's not my fault!" Goku frowned. "Besides, if you'll remember, you used to be a bit stronger than me when we were kids. That should tell you all you need to know about how good you are!"

"I don't know, Goku..." Tien frowned. "That brother of yours is insanely strong, I don't think I've ever met anyone like him. No offense, but you don't seem that much tougher than when you fought Piccolo, I'm not sure if you can take him."

"I have to admit, since Chi-Chi and I got married there's been more to my life than training. I also haven't been able to travel as much, since I can't exactly leave them alone for long periods of time. I wasn't really expecting something like this to appear into my life...and if I'm honest, I'm not sure I can beat him either." Goku said quietly.

Some of the others looked grim at that thought. If even Goku couldn't beat him...

Goku flashed them his usual smile. "Hey, don't look so down guys. I said I couldn't beat him alone, but I've got you guys, right? And there's no way I'm going to let him get away with taking my family. Besides, he's my brother, I'm sure he'll be able to listen to reason."

"What a wonderfully naïve view you have, Goku." A deep voice rumbled from the sky.

Goku instantly adopted a fighting stance, turning to face the all-too-familiar source. From the sky, Piccolo Jr. descended upon the gardens of Capsule Corp., until he floated just above the ground, his toes occasionally gracing a blade of grass with their touch. His cape blew in the winds that surrounded him and his jaw was set and determined.

"You again? Talk about the worst timing!" Goku complained. "Look, I know you want that rematch and all, but..."

"I'm not here to fight you, Goku. I've been watching the events of these last few days with great anticipation and fear. It seems that your brother Raditz is far more powerful than either of us could have ever dreamed."

"Eh?" Goku looked both surprised and confused. "You know about him?"

"Know about him? I was his damn welcoming committee, his doormat, and he damn near killed me." Piccolo growled, clenching his fists. "I was overconfident and didn't expect his powers to be as great as they are. I can't beat him alone, but with you..."

Goku frowned. "Why would you want to help us fight him? Don't you hate me?"

"Of course I hate you! A true warrior cannot stand to be defeated, and both of you are obstacles to my plans for this world. Kami's throne rightfully belongs to me, but this outsider is strong enough to destroy myself, Kami, you and anyone else who gets in his way. The only way for the Earth to save itself is to fight together."

Roshi carefully adjusted his glasses. "Forgive me if I say I don't entirely trust you either, Piccolo, but you are right. If we don't stand united against this Saiyajin, there's no way we can defeat him. For all we know, this is the first of many, and if we don't learn to work together then all will be lost"

The words of his master were true, Goku knew that as much as anyone else. With some hesitation, but a smile on his face, Goku extended his hand to Piccolo. "Well alright then, we're friends then?"

"Friends?" Piccolo looked at Goku with disdain. "Don't make me sick, Goku. As soon as Raditz is dealt with, I will be having my rematch with you at the Tournament and I will deal with you once and for all."

Goku looked taken aback, maybe even slightly hurt, but he nodded and withdrew his hand. "Alright then Piccolo, have it your way..."

"Hey guys, come quick! Dad and I have managed to isolate the module of the Saiyajin ship with the message for Goku! We've got it powered up!" Bulma shouted out a window, waving at the group below.

Even Piccolo seemed interested by this news, and the Z Senshi were quick to drop what they were doing and come running, Goku at the lead. Rushing past surprised scientists and nearly knocking over Mrs. Briefs herself, they crowded into the large research chamber where the ship lay.

Bulma cleared her throat and was about to begin, when she spotted Piccolo and nearly turned to jelly. "H-h- g-g-guys..." She pointed shakily at him.

"Relax, Bulma." Goku raised his hands and laughed awkwardly. "He's here to help us fight my brother, you don't have to worry about it."

She continued to stammer awkwardly, leaving Dr. Briefs to push her aside gently. "Yes, well, as my daughter was trying to say, there are two messages contained in this module. One seems to have been placed on the ship long before it arrived here, the other was sent a few days after arrival on Earth. I'll play the original first..."

Dr. Briefs pressed the button and a holographic display of a tall man appeared. His hair was spiky and dark and he sported a thick goatee; his armour was similar to Raditz's, but more ornate and decorated with a magnificent scarlet cape and a badge consisting of four symbols on its breast. Goku wasn't exactly sure why, but he seemed oddly familiar...

"You are a warrior of the Saiyajin race!" He proudly boasted. "Know that I am your sovereign lord, King Vegeta! You are a member of the greatest warrior race that has ever lived, a soldier in an army of unmatched ability. Though you are just a babe, even Saiyajin children shall be sufficient for our purposes upon some worlds. You will conquer as all Saiyajins do, kill everyone of this planet and wait for our arrival! You will fight and grow strong, and do us honour! This is my order, my decree, and your mission..."

The display faded, and Goku felt like there was a rock in his stomach. "Is this what I was sent here to do? To kill everyone? But...why?"

Piccolo growled. "Kami spoke to me of a common shared history, but I do not have the same memories my father did. I feel like I should know more about the Saiyajins, yet I do not."

The second message flashed, and many in the room gasped involuntarily. It was as if the spitting image of Goku himself stood before them. This strange Saiyajin was adorned in heavily worn Saiyajin battle armour, a blood red headband held his hair in check and a deep cross-shaped scar adorned his left cheek.

"Kakarot...my son..." he began. "It is I, your father, Bardock. It tears a hole in my heart to know that I will never see you grow up to become a man. You and your brother are the last memories I have of your mother, but I have seen the future and I know what is to come. The Saiyajin race is about to face extinction, total destruction at the hands of our so-called saviours. The end is near..."

Tears began to form at his eyes and he slammed his hands against some invisible control console, looking furious. "The Arcosians have betrayed us and the Planet Trade Organization seeks to destroy us. Kakarot, you must fear them and avoid them at all costs. They seek to destroy our homeworld and devastate everything we have worked so hard to create. Long have I had King Vegeta's ear, but now my counsel falls upon deaf ears; there is only one thing left for me to do and that is to face Frieza in combat. I know in my heart I cannot win, but let it not be said that the House of Bardock did not go down fighting. You must find your brother Raditz and together you must restore our family's honour. Do not give up hope...I am counting on you to bring light out of this darkness..."

Shouting could be heard in the background and the sounds of fighting. He looked over his shoulder at something they could not see. "They're here...I do not have any time left. Remember what I have said, Kakarot! Remember that whatever happens, I will always love you both. Become the warriors you were always meant to be!"

The message ended abruptly, leaving the room in silence. There was a lot of information to absorb, but only Goku had been truly moved by the message. The last words of his father, his real father...he had seemed so much more warm and accommodating than his brother in those final moments. What had happened to his people?

The Saiyajin stood and took a deep breath. "The ship's yours, it's not really useful to me anymore..."

"What are you going to do?" Roshi asked.

"Whatever it is, are you sure I have to come with?" Yajirobe complained. "These Saiyajin guys sound pretty terrifying, I don't want to get killed!"

"I'm going to do the only thing I can do...I'm going to find my brother and find out what he wants from me - and if I have to, I'm going to put a stop to him." Goku clenched his fist tight. "Anyone who plans on coming had better get ready, I'm leaving in an hour."


	8. The Black Moon

**A/N: **Apologies to anyone waiting for a new chapter on this update. I was quite busy working on writing that would actually earn me some cash, so I (hopefully understandably) prioritized that. In the meantime, here's a quickie update to get things back on track.

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 7 - The Black Moon**

A peal of thunder rang throughout the sky, highlighting the bulbous frame of the airbus. Rain pounded down from a canopy of blackened clouds, pattering across the roof of the aircraft. Yamcha peered out the window, a dismal frown on his face at the awful weather. Somewhere out there, he could see Goku and Piccolo flying side by side, engaged in some kind of discussion. He sighed and turned back to the rest, examining the faces of his fellow passengers. They'd brought (other than himself) Tien, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe, Krillin and Master Roshi himself. It wasn't a very large strikeforce, but Roshi had insisted that the rest stay as they were more likely to harm than help in a fight this serious. The only non combatant allowed had been Bulma, who had insisted on flying the bus.

"Man, Goku sure looks serious..." Yamcha grumbled. "And the weather is even worse. You don't think this will keep up once we get there, do you?"

Krillin yawned and helped himself to a bag of snacks. "I wouldn't worry too much about rain, Yamcha. Even if it does last that long, we've got bigger things to worry about than getting wet. You're right about Goku though, I haven't ever seen him this upset about something..."

"Goku's changed alot since we last got to know him, but I have to say I'm astonished by how much. Who would have thought Goku had a kid?"

Roshi nodded in agreement. "I visited him not long ago, but even I didn't realise he had a son with Chi-Chi. I suppose it was inevitable, but with a boy like Goku I never really thought...well, you know."

Tien grunted. "It doesn't matter, Goku's going through a rough time but this fight should help clear everything up. Remember, there's never been a trouble he couldn't solve with a good fight. I'd be more worried about staying alive against an opponent like this. Even with my strongest attack, he was able to shrug it off with barely any injury at all. Not even Goku could have survived that..."

Yajirobe looked pale again, and shrank back into his seat. Chiaotzu didn't look particularly eager himself, but Yamcha scoffed at the idea. "He caught me by surprise, there's no doubt about it, but he's not invincible. Even I was able to keep him on the defence with my Wolf Fang Fist, and with all of us together, even someone as quick and strong as him can't possibly keep up."

"I can't stand this!" Yajirobe finally wailed. "This guy's some crazy alien who flattened you all, and you think we're just gonna take him on? No way guys, no way! Don't you see we're all going to die?"

"I wouldn't be so sure we'll even have to fight, guys!" Bulma called from up front. "I didn't just come here to fly the plane, you know. Goku wanted me to bring a copy of the message their father sent him. I think he's hoping to make peace before this gets out of hand."

Roshi looked downcast. "I don't mean to rain on your parade, Bulma, but I have a feeling it's not going to be that simple. Goku's got a family now, and whatever happened on their home planet, well, I'm guessing Raditz already knows about it. Moreover, I'm sure Goku wants to fight Raditz, and if these Saiyajins are anything like Goku, Raditz will want to challenge him as well."

"Master Roshi is correct, and we know Goku isn't powerful enough to beat him alone." Tien closed his eyes. "No amount of discussion will change that fact..."

* * *

Raditz folded his arms contemplatively, pondering the black sky and the distant flashes of lightning. The weather had been quite rough since he arrived on this planet, denying him the use of the moon and its powers. He knew his brother and a substantial group of his allies were on the way - the storm did little to hide their power levels, after all - and the prospect of a fight against the odds brought a cold smile to the Saiyajin's face.

"Are the rest of you ready?"

Raditz popped his knuckles to accentuate the question - though it was more of an order to become ready than anything. The three lower-class warriors were indeed ready, but not looking forward to facing Goku and Piccolo again. The last time they had fought, each had nearly faced death and only just escaped with their lives. This time there was no guarantee what would happen.

"Of course we are ready, Lord Raditz." Ginger bowed. "We have secured the cavern and ensured there are no other exists, as you commanded."

Raditz smiled. "Good. Very good." He said. "Prepare yourself for battle. Our enemies are about to arrive."

"Huh? How can you tell?" Sansho stared blankly.

The Saiyajin silently studied the power levels. There were eight warriors in all, mostly hailing from his brother's group. They were outnumbered two to one, but Raditz felt comfortable in victory thanks to the intense difference in strength between him and the rest. He turned and started to walk back towards the cave entrance, barely sparing the others a glance.

"Are you still here? Move, we don't have much time." Raditz snapped at them.

The three minions stiffened and saluted to the Saiyajin. "Y-yes sir!" "Of course!" "Right away!"

They scattered to their appointed places as quickly as possible, lest they draw the anger of their new lord. He had to admit that having someone to boss around was a nice change of pace, but they weren't Saiyajin, nor even part of the Planetary Trade Organization; he had already resolved that they couldn't be trusted and should be discarded as soon as they had outlived their purpose.

Far in the skies above, a faint yellow outline appeared out of the approaching storm, escorted by a pair of white lights that could only be his brother and the Namekian. Raditz continued to walk leisurely, not even bothering to turn to face his approaching opponents. Two spheres of bright white energy appeared in his hands, growing to fill the gaps between his fingers before deepening to acquire a purple hue. He tossed them over his shoulders as casually as if they were a pair of used fruits, allowing them to spiral lazily up into the sky.

"It begins..."

* * *

"Is that so, Goku? Well don't forget we're still enemies. In fact, as soon as we're done with this Raditz guy, it's my turn to-"

Destiny had stolen Piccolo's threat from the tip of his tongue. Bulma's plane erupted into a plume of fire as the first ki blast struck one of the engines, triggering a violent explosion. The other tore straight through the middle of the plane and out the other end, ripping a sizeable hole in its frame. Alarms blazed through the Capsule Corp aircraft along with a monotonous robotic voice urging the passengers to remain calm. Bulma wrestled with the controls to try and keep it under control, screaming wildly as they began to lose altitude.

"Oh no!" Goku turned the Flying Nimbus towards the plummeting aircraft. "We have to help them!" He shouted to Piccolo.

Piccolo, however, didn't even seem to hear him. The Namekian's focus was purely on the distant spot that was Raditz, and he screamed through the air at full speed to chase the Saiyajin down.

"Where are you going?!" He shouted, hesitating for a moment before turning back to the plummeting aircraft. Zipping around to the front of the plane, he wrapped both arms around the nose and held its descent in as carefully as he could, grunting under the strain of the effort.

"It's no use Goku, there's critical failure in engine 1 and engine 2 has lost power, we need to land, fast!" Bulma screamed out the window.

"Just hold tight, I'll take you down gently!" Goku yelled, holding the plane with all the grip he could muster, bending in the very metal of the chassis under his strength. After a long, tense minute, he finally came to a stop just above the surface, the plane balanced carefully in the air. Dropping it suddenly, he exhaled and shook his arms a little, surprised at how much effort that was.

"Phew..." Bulma wiped the sweat from her brow as the sensation of solid ground returned.

"Goku, I see him! Let's go!" Piccolo shouted down from the sky.

"Wait, Piccolo!" Goku shouted back. "I need to check if everyone's okay!"

The entrance of Bulma's plane burst off its hinges and sailed through the air, revealing the frame of Yamcha in the doorway. "Alright, where's the creep who did this?!"

"I don't have time for this. He's getting away!" Piccolo yelled and took off in the direction the blasts had come from.

"Yamcha, is everyone okay?" Goku asked, running up to the doorway.

"We're fine Goku, go find your brother. We'll catch up as soon as we can." Yamcha hopped out of the doorway, making way for the others to disembark.

Goku nodded to his friend and shot off after Piccolo, gritting his teeth as wind and rain whipped around him, the conditions around the base of the mountain steadily worsening. "Raditz! I'm coming for you!"


	9. The Battle Begins

**Dragonball Sekai**

**Episode 8 - The Battle Begins  
**

A swift, sudden thunderclap erupted as Piccolo met his opponent in the air over the skies of the mountain. The violent impact between Namekian and Saiyajin warrior created a momentary void betwixt the two, which suddenly collapsed, drawing each closer in. Raditz threw a couple of quick jabs but Piccolo parried both and then rapidly darted back out of reach.

"Well well, is this how you say hello? Your race's manners have truly declined, haven't they?" Raditz grinned.

Like a flash of light, Goku appeared next to Piccolo, hovering in the air in a combat-ready stance. Raditz gazed into both of their eyes, judging them with black orbs that had seen years of battle. His frown turned into a slight smile, and then a laugh. The two of them alone had come to face him without even waiting for backup: a foolish gesture.

"Do you really think you can win like this? I am a Saiyajin elite, one of the finest warriors left alive in the galaxy. You risk death at my hands."

"We don't have to fight, Raditz. We're brothers. I have a transmission from my father, he told us things about our past, things you need to know," Goku said. "I know it's hard to believe, but our home planet, our...well, our people, they weren't wiped out by an accident!"

"We know all about the Arcosians, Kakarot. I received the same message you did. That is a fight for another day - now come at me, prove how strong a warrior you have become." Raditz beckoned.

"This means you won't release my wife?" Goku's jaw set firmly at his brother's lack of empathy.

"Not without a fight," Raditz grinned.

Piccolo's body erupted in energy. "Then it's a fight you'll get!"

The Saiyajin warrior regarded his younger brother and the Namekian with mild humour, beckoning for them to come with one hand. "Do your best now, I'd hate to get bored..."

The flaring energy around Piccolo's body roared like a bright white fireball, catching even Goku by surprise, but neither side made a move yet. Raditz waited impatiently for a few moments, then looked back down at the cave entrance where Gohan and Chi-Chi waited. "Well, aren't you going to try and save them? We haven't got all day."

The wind and rain around the fighters intensified as the dark clouds completely consumed their battlefield. The aura around Piccolo's body faded as his energy suffused into his own body. Reaching up, the Namekian casually removed the hat and cloak adorning his body, crumpling them into a ball and dropping it. The garments fell to the distant ground like a stone, before rending a large crater in the earth below.

"Man, that's some heavy stuff, Piccolo!" Goku whistled. "Looks like you take your training about as seriously as I do," he said with a grin, pulling off his shirts, wristbands and boots, letting them drop with an equally satisfying thud. A quick check of Raditz's scouter indicated that their power levels had not grown substantially, but without the extra weight they'd be much more mobile and have more energy to pack into their attacks - he had to be careful.

"I'm still waiting..." Raditz yawned.

Almost without warning, Piccolo's hand thrust out and a bright beam of orange energy shot out, as wide as a man's arm and equally thick. There was less than a second to react, but that was more than enough time for a trained warrior like Raditz. Puffing his chest slightly, he released his ki a fraction before impact, deflecting and mitigating the power of the blast with ease. Smoke filled the air for a moment before the fierce winds ripped it away, revealing Piccolo swinging a mighty blow straight at his face.

Raditz ducked and danced under Piccolo's opening blow, easily parrying a follow-up kick. Goku wasn't far behind, unleashing several quick and sharp blows, but Raditz was slippery like the rain itself, dodging out of range of each. Both warriors came at him at once, and in a flash he was behind them, dropping his elbows into the backs of both warriors and ending their offensive decisively. Raditz wiped a bit of rain from his brow and turned to watch as they tumbled helplessly through the air before slamming into the muddy ground below.

"Is that it...?" he mused. "Somehow, I'd expected more from my brother."

* * *

"Looks like it's kicking off something fierce!" Krillin shouted as the fireball that was Piccolo's ki became visible even from here. "We'd better hurry!"

"I'd rather not you guys..." Yajirobe whined. "Can't you feel that terrible power?"

"Yeah, Piccolo's going all out..." Yamcha looked tentatively into the sky.

"Oh, they're the last thing you need to worry about..." a thin voice cackled. "Because now you're going to die!"

Three black figures leapt out from behind a few nearby trees, bursting into the midst of the Z Senshi in a furious storm. Krillin and Chiaotzu were knocked away and Roshi was stunned by a vicious blow to the head. Tien, Yajirobe and Yamcha took defensive poses across from their new enemy: Ginger, Nicky and Sansho.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Yajirobe muttered, one hand on his sword.

"It doesn't matter, they're between us and Goku's brother," Tien said.

"Too bad you'll never make it..." Nicky cackled, pulling an enormous blade out of his own leg. "Prepare to die!"

Nicky darted forward, bringing his sword over his head in a ferocious slash with both hands at Yajirobe, the closest of the three. Yajirobe's own blade came free in a flash and the two met between them, Yajirobe's own cutting a deep chunk out of the ki-formed sword.

"Huh, is that it?" Yajirobe wiped his nose with one hand while holding Nicky off with the other. He seemed to think for a second, then grinned. "Hey guys, I got a great idea: why don't you let me handle this and you go help Goku!"

Tien himself was under attack by Ginger's dual blades, weaving and dodging between their wide swings. "As if I'd let you have all the fun..." Tien grumbled.

A bright flash of light erupted as Sansho and Yamcha simultaneously fired ki blasts at one another, then closed in to a deadly melee of lightning-quick strikes. After a series of inconclusive parries, Sansho landed a heavy punch to the gut of Yamcha, drawing some blood. Sansho was quick to follow up, leveling a roundhouse kick at the smaller human, seeking to crack his skull in a single devastating blow. Yamcha was quick to catch the leg of the Makyo warrior and swung him over his shoulder to slam him into the earth, sending a violent spray of mud and turf into the air.

"DIE!" Nicky squealed as he pulled his blade free of Yajirobe's, swinging low at the warrior, who easily jumped above the attempt, landing on the sword itself.

"Is that all you've got...?" Yajirobe grinned, slamming his foot down into the chipped section of blade; already damaged, the summoned sword shattered into two pieces and then again into a hundred more, leaving Nicky empty-handed and gaping.

Tien wrapped his hand in a sheath of crackling white energy and caught one of Ginger's swords in his hand, quickly unleashing a ki blast into Ginger's stomach before he could retaliate. The Makyo warrior was sent flying almost fifty metres, tumbling and bouncing off the earth as he went. The earth warriors took a step back, now drenched in rain and mud from the fierce, brief skirmish. Krillin and Chiaotzu picked themselves up - the latter more hurt than the former, while Roshi rubbed his head in pain.

"Looks like Raditz took some time to invest in help..." Yamcha nursed the bruise in his gut. "He should have done better, though."

"I know these monsters," Roshi said darkly. "Warriors from the Makyo Star, servants of Garlic Jr. I remember one of the last times I met with Goku, he told me about a great battle with them."

"Yeah...I was there, and they were brutally tough." Krillin grumbled. "Goku told me we had to rescue some kid called Gohan - I should have realised that was his son, of course, but what a surprise to see them still alive. I thought Goku and Piccolo had finished them off..."

"Piccolo was there? So this isn't the first time they fought together?" Tien asked in surprise.

"It seems so. Piccolo's heart is not as cold or stone-like as his father's."

"Hey!" Ginger spat as he walked back towards them. "Don't tell me you're forgetting about us, humans. You're pretty good, but this fight isn't over yet!"

Nicky took a few cautious steps back towards his companions, Sansho dragged himself out of the mud and Ginger leapt through the air and landed at their side. Each one's eyes glowed red with barely-restrained fury at their embarrassing beating.

Ginger cast aside his cloak and continued to speak, "Makyo Star warriors are not so easily beaten, and we have our pride in battle. You may have sealed our master into the Dead Zone, but with the help of our new employer Raditz, we will take our revenge upon this world."

Sansho and Nicky threw their own cloaks down into the mud, allowing the heavy rain to wash over them and clear their bodies of mud. Their sharp ivory teeth were bared in wide grins as their muscles slowly began to bulge. Screaming out simultaneous war cries, their bodies grew several inches each, bulging with muscle and popping veins.

"Ready for round two?" Ginger hissed as a purple glow surrounded him, his ki seething out of every pore.

Tien popped his knuckles. "Krillin, Chiaotzu, Master; go give Goku what help you can and let us deal with these guys."

Chiaotzu hesitated, but Krillin took his hand. "Let's go, don't worry about these guys, they can handle them."

Yamcha popped his knuckles, Yajirobe sheathed his sword and stretched his knees, while Tien stared solemnly at their enemies. There was a brief moment of tense silence, before Yamcha made the first step forward. All at once, the six warriors burst forward and the battle was rejoined.

* * *

Vegeta's eyes opened suddenly, gazing out the window at the cold void of space. A soft beeping - the alarm he had set earlier - had woken him from his slumber and revealed the space station ahead of him. The two Saiyajin pods trailed silently through space, approaching the large orbital station in the distance. Innumerable starships moved to and from the enormous construct, many of which proudly displayed the symbol of the Planet Trade Organization.

The communications console hummed to life, indicating that the station was hailing them. With practiced ease, Vegeta activated the system and the image of a hideous, squid-like alien appeared as a holographic display in front of him. It wore an impressive suit of Saiyajin-designed battle armour, one of the last relics of their great Empire, and his cloak and broach identified his rank as that of a junior officer.

"Unidentified transport pods, please state your identity," the alien demanded.

"I am Prince Vegeta of the Saiyajin Empire, accompanied by General Nappa, Captain of the Royal Guard. We will be docking at your station shortly."

Vegeta couldn't read the squid - what was his race's name again? - and what he was thinking, but after a moment he nodded. "Of course, your highness. According to our records, Lord Frieza has left a message for you and indicated you should read and reply as soon as possible. There is space for pod docking in section 14A, we're sending the coordinates to your navigation system. All hail Frieza."

Vegeta closed the link rather than dignify him with a response. Since the decline and destruction of Planet Vegeta with nearly the entirety of the Saiyajin race, the Arcosians were now the uncontested rulers of this section of the Galaxy. Frieza had given him the 'kindness' of a formal adoption and recognition of his legal right to rule the Saiyajins, but with almost no hope of a recovery of his race's numbers, they had effectively been removed as a threat to Arcosian dominance and the Planet Trade Organization's ruling body, the Cold dynasty.

Minutes later, the two pods docked and Vegeta and Nappa soon found themselves walking through the impressive Promenade B of Tau Ceti Station 114f, overlooking the intense storms of a gas giant below. Thousands of alien barterers hawked their wares as the two Saiyajins walked through the crowd, their armour proudly displaying the royal heraldry of the Kings of Vegeta next to the PTO's own icon.

"So Vegeta..." Nappa started.

"What is it, Nappa?"

"I was just wondering...why didn't you want Raditz to kill any of those human aliens?"

"Not here, Nappa," snapped Vegeta. "This is not the place."

"But from what the records said, the planet sounds like a total gem, and the Salarians are supposed to be looking for a new terrestrial planet to buy, think of the money..."

"Half of the money will go into Frieza's coffers, we are his vassals if you would recall. Besides, that planet has a much greater potential payout, but we need to make sure no one else finds out about it..."

Nappa looked confused. "So what are we going to do?"

"We're going to erase the planet from existence." Vegeta said as they stopped in front of a small hole-in-the-wall shop. From the outside it seemed to just sell old software and other useless junk - the kind of thing two Saiyajin warriors would have little use for...

Nappa looked confused, but followed his Prince as he entered the shop. Vegeta walked up to the counter and glared at the cyborg behind the counter; half his crimson skin had been replaced with plates of polished steel and exposed cybernetic parts. The two stared each other down for a moment, before Nappa stepped up behind him and caught his attention.

"Can I... help you two gentlemen?"

Vegeta reached into his glove and withdrew a microdisc, placing it down on the counter. "Yes you can. I need to make use of your special services."

The red alien's eyes gazed down at the disc, then up at the symbol of the Planet Trade Organization, squinting suspiciously. After a moment of thought, he brushed a lock of white hair out of his eyes, shrugging. "I don't know what you gentlemen are talking about, we don't buy software, we only sell."

"I pay well, and I don't want anyone hearing about it. I've heard you're the best hacker in the quadrant..."

Nappa looked even more confused. "What are you talking about Vegeta?"

"Shut up, Nappa." Vegeta leaned into the counter and stared at the man darkly. "I'm willing to give you half a billion credits if you can make every scrap of information about this planet's existence disappear from the Galactic Net."

The alien continued to glower at him. "You think something like that is easy? I couldn't do it for less than a billion..."

Vegeta grinned - he had him. "Six hundred million, then."

"I'll need help, I'd be taking a big risk. Eight hundred."

"Seven hundred and I'll be willing to silence them for good after the job is done."

The alien sighed and took the disc, slipping into his pocket. "It's been a pleasure working with you. Come back tomorrow morning."

Vegeta turned and exited without another word, a bemused Nappa in tow.

"Vegeta...that's almost everything we earned from the last sale, are you crazy?"

"Tell me you don't want to spend the rest of your days selling off moons and partaking in a share of planets, Nappa...I have loftier goals."

Vegeta felt the heavy hand of Nappa fall on his shoulder, forcibly turning him. He glared up at his bodyguard in anger.

"Tell me, Vegeta," Nappa demanded. "I deserve to know."

Vegeta brushed Nappa's hand from his shoulder. "It's simple, Nappa. We are going to restore the Saiyajin Empire to life, at any cost..."


	10. For Death and Honour

**Dragonball Sekai  
Episode 9 - For Death and Honour**

Raditz landed on the muddied ground, his boots making a soft squishy sound as they sank into the earth. Piccolo and Goku were struggling to pull themselves out after the devastating blow; both were muddied and bruised, but the scouter indicated that their _kiai_ had not decreased in intensity or capacity.

"Good, you're not too hurt...in fact I'm rather surprised at just how powerful you are, Kakarot," Raditz said.

Goku just glared back at him; Piccolo was first to move, sprinting across the open ground at full pace. Opening with a punching feint, he swung and delivered a vicious roundhouse kick at head level, far too slow to breach the Saiyajin's defences. Piccolo immediately followed up with a high knee, before unleashing a flurry of quick hand strikes. A brief moment of blurry blows passed, before Raditz stood unharmed before a winded Piccolo.

"Is that it, Namekian? Is that the best you can offer me?"

"Wha-" Piccolo started to speak, before Raditz delivered a brutal gut punch to him. He turned to face Goku, who was nearly on top of him, with a cocky smile on his face. Almost too late he noticed that his brother's hands were not held in an offensive combat stance, but were behind him and gathering ki at a rapid rate. His eyes widened and he raised his arms defensively, too late for even his speed to dodge what was coming.

"Kame...hame...HA!" Goku screamed as he unleashed the powerful ki technique, landing a direct hit with the beam and pouring all of his _ki_ into it. Raditz grunted and strained under the immense weight of the blast, his scouter flashing a highly fluctuating reading near 1000. His arms began to smoke and singe as he was forced to absorb the brunt of the blast with his body, pouring his energy into a defensive barrier around his arms. Slowly, painfully, he pushed back against the weight of the surprise attack, until he could hold it at bay with one hand - in the brief seconds it bought him, he created a small orb of red energy in his left hand and pushed it through the barrier into the Kamehameha beam.

From his own vantage point, Goku wasn't even able to see what had triggered the meltdown, but his own ki mixed with that of the orb and reacted poorly. The destructive catalyst sent a chain reaction down the attack and the entire beam of ki exploded violently, throwing Goku across the field and into one of the mountain's many rocky outcroppings. Raditz swung one arm to cut a swathe through the cloud of smoke, forcibly dissipating much of it. Curls of smoke still trailed from his arms and the Saiyajin showed visible signs of damage.

"I am impressed, Kakarot...more than you know." Raditz walked towards his brother with a genuine smile. "This planet is soft, it breeds weakness in you, and yet here you are, able to survive a battle against myself. That technique is impressive, few of Frieza's soldiers would have survived it, but unfortunately for you I am an elite warrior. I am a cut above those rabble."

Piccolo had dragged himself back to his feet, wiping a trail of blood from his mouth. "It seems a head-on attack is impossible against you...I admit you're pretty impressive, but you're wrong if you think this planet breeds weakness..."

Goku shook his head and rubbed his shoulder, surprised by the detonation of his attack but not seriously hurt otherwise. "This planet is what has made me as strong as I am, 'brother'. Maybe you're just not as strong as you think you are - this battle isn't over yet."

"Oh ho, such bravado. Maybe if you'd been born on your original home planets, things would have ended up differently. The gravity here is quite weak compared to our ancestral lands, which holds back your potential considerably - although that weighted clothing you use should help considerably," Raditz said thoughtfully. "I suppose I do have a few years on you, though. There's still time for you to grow."

Standing fully up, Piccolo stretched his neck. "It's still too early to call this the end...why don't you save those words for the end of this fight."

Raditz smiled. "Oh? Let's see about that..."

Before any of the combatants had a chance to respond, Raditz bursted towards the Namekian without warning, bringing his fist to him in the form of a lethal uppercut. With barely a moment to react, Piccolo stretched his head back to narrowly avoid the direct blow. The force and intensity of the Saiyajin's ki split his chin open and drew a trickle of blood, but left the Namekian relatively unharmed. Piccolo retaliated instantly, capitalizing on his overextended opponent with a powerful kick to the ribs. Even Raditz's resilience was not enough to stop him from being knocked back through the air towards Goku. The younger Saiyajin capitalized on the opportunity, catching Raditz with a flying knee and then smashing him into the ground with a double-fisted hammerblow.

Piccolo raised his arms in the air and created a large sphere of ki, swinging it down to smash into Raditz's body even as he hit the earth, creating an intense explosion of energy, mud and sod. Pebbles scattered through the rainy sky and fell to the earth, a hail of debris obscuring half the mountainside due to the intensity of the attack. Both Goku and Piccolo slumped slightly, breathing heavily at the exertion required to fight anywhere close to Raditz's level. Their eyes darted back and forth as the outline of an enormous crater began to appear where the Saiyajin warrior had been, but it was unclear where their opponent was.

* * *

"Whoa, look at that! Piccolo's a monster!" Krillin wailed as they dodged falling rocks through the wind.

"As long as he keeps aiming attacks like that at Goku's brother, I don't mind…" Chiaotzu said thoughtfully.

"Quiet, we don't want to draw his attention!" Roshi slapped both of them across the head. "We'll get massacred in a fight like that, only Krillin might be able to avoid getting completely annihilated."

"Wait, if that's true, why are we here? Why didn't we help the others?" Krillin looked confused.

"It's simple. Right now, Goku's heart is worried about his family. If we can slip past them and rescue Chi Chi and Gohan, well, he'll be a lot happier for it."

"Then let's move while he's still down in that crater, we don't have a better chance than this!" Krillin pointed at the cave entrance. "I swear I can sense Chi Chi down there, it's like this terrifying sensation of a monster, even worse than Raditz!"

"This is no time for joking…" Chiaotzu pulled a sour face.

"Who's joking? I really am terrified of her." Krillin laughed a bit.

Before the others could say anything, he ran off towards the cave. Roshi and Chiatozu weren't far beyond, leaving the dust and mud of the battle behind them. Flashes of light and sonic booms still echoed through the valley as the battle continued behind them, but they were one step closer to foiling Raditz.

"Hang on Krillin, we don't know if he's left any more minions in there…" Roshi warned him as Krillin ran up to the entrance.

"What if he did? I get the feeling those dirtbags Garlic Jr. kept around are the worst we have to worry about. Come on guys, let's go before he digs himself out of that pit Piccolo put him in!"

Roshi frowned as Krillin rushed in, Chiaotzu hot on his heels. He wasn't sure why, but something felt terribly wrong about this whole situation, as if everything was about to come crashing down around them - figuratively speaking, anyway. "You go, Krillin, I'll watch the entrance and keep the way clear for you to get them out of there."

Another bright flash of ki appeared from outside, and Roshi turned to watch, his heart nearly stopping for a beat as he felt a power level fade. Before he could contemplate it, the ground split open and Raditz burst free, soaring up into the sky after Goku and Piccolo. The battle was still very undecided.

* * *

The intensity of the explosion caused by Piccolo was nearly blinding Yamcha, but he had to focus on the fight in front of him, there was no time to shield his eyes. Now that the Makyo Star warriors were taking the fight seriously, they had grown intensely faster and stronger than he had previously expected. Sansho was a fierce and brutal fighter who was steadily out-muscling him. Tien and Yajirobe didn't seem to be struggling with theirs, so why couldn't he keep up…

Blood. Another unexpected blow caught him in the face. The big man hit like a truck, each blow would have killed a normal human, making Yamcha thankful that he was no ordinary human. A series of rapid blows came from the huge demon, each of which Yamcha parried. He twisted, turned, and then caught the beast's foot with his own, pulling him into a perfectly executed throw. Sansho slammed into the mud and rolled back to his feet without much difficulty, laughing arrogantly.

"You're quick and clever, human. Fun to fight! But you are going to lose. I am strong, and strength always wins!"

Yamcha spat and entered a defensive stance, waiting for the inevitable counter-attack. "I don't care what you think, demon. I'm not some punk you can just walk over, I'm the legendary desert bandit Yamcha. I'm one of the prized fighters of the Turtle school!"

Sansho's charge lasted just a blink of an eye, coming not in the form of a strike but instead a ki-accelerated burst forwards followed by a crackling red orb of energy. Yamcha only just had time to take flight into the air before Sansho's palm struck the earth, the orb detonating on contact, sending a plume of smoke into the air. The rain quickly began to clear the smoke, but Sansho had already launched himself through the air and slammed shoulder-first into Yamcha's gut. The tell-tale sensation of ribs breaking shot through his brain, and he screamed in pain at the collision. The demon was not content with this alone, though, and he seized hold of him, bringing his back down on his knee with a devastating crack before swinging him down into the earth, colliding with the mud.

"Ugh…" Yamcha groaned, trying to regain his senses. That was the textbook definition of a pummeling. The big guy might have been a bit slower and less technical, but that kind of raw power was hard to compete with.

"Yamcha!" Tien shouted, blocking an attack from his opponent.

"It's fine...I got this guy…" Yamcha said as he struggled to his feet.

He watched Sansho land a fair distance away with caution, feeling his damaged ribs and groaning a bit at the sensation. His back still felt okay, but that had definitely weakened him, and there was no way he was going to win in an endurance race like this. He needed to take this guy out with one sudden attack, or it was game over for sure.

"I got him…" Yamcha wiped at his mouth. The hand came away red, despite the water rinsing over it, and he realized he had been coughing up blood - a dangerous sign. Fear set in, but so did excitement. He hadn't had a fight where he felt this challenged or this alive in years. This was what he had missed in the long years of peace and opulence - living in the city had dulled his edge as a warrior and slowed his wits. He felt truly alive again, truly able to feel excitement. _'Why did I give this kind of danger up again?' _he thought to himself, grinning wildly.

"Time to die, little human." Sansho laughed - it was a deep, intimidating sound, but it only made Yamcha's heart race.

"That's my line, freak." He shifted his stance, moving away from the Turtle Hermit's standard defensive pose to another, a more aggressive Chinese stance he hadn't used in years.

Sansho continued to plod towards him, unfazed by the change of stance. A soft red glow emanated from his skin, purging the mud off him and adding a demonic aura to his approach. The ki was intensely powerful, greater than anything Yamcha could produce, but his honour as a warrior was at stake, and the life of his friends too. He couldn't permit this Sansho to win.

"Change your techniques all you like, power will always win." Sansho grinned. "Let me give you a demonstration…"

Yamcha's power unleashed itself fully, his pupils fading as he channeled all of his remaining ki into his body, wrapping himself in a powerful white aura. His muscles bulged slightly and then tightened, his half-torn shirt tearing itself further to bare his chest completely. The pain of his ribs was forgotten. The chance that he might face defeat was forgotten. Everything was gone, and all he had left was the thrill of the fight.

"Wolf...Fang...FIST!" he screamed as he charged forward, his feet pedaling faster than he had ever forced them to run before.

Sansho was surprised by the sudden charge, not expecting that level of speed. He swung a heavy punch, trying to intercept Yamcha's charge, but the human ducked past and unleashed a devastating rain of punches and kicks, each wrapped in an aura of blue-white energy. Each seemed to tear and singe at the tough body of Sansho, finally delivering a spinning kick to the beast's head, smashing him into the earth.

Yamcha landed next to his prone opponent, gasping in exhaustion. He did not let the aura fade, determined to be ready for the counterattack. He knew that hadn't been enough power to finish the fight, but he'd be damned if he was going to lose that easily. The pain began to return to his muscles and ribs, warning him that he couldn't keep this up forever.

"Please stay down…" he whispered to himself.

Sansho stirred. Yamcha winced, and the giant once again stood. Blood trickled from his busted lip, and he had a few visible bruises, but he had otherwise absorbed the attack fairly well, although he no longer had the same cocky grin he had once worn.

"How do you like that?" Yamcha grinned. "Not so weak now, huh?"

"No, still weak…" Sansho shook his head, then slowly smiled. "But I admire the weakling's determination. You're slowly killing yourself just for a chance to try and beat me. Come on then, try again."

A mixture of anger and insult crossed Yamcha's face, before he angrily charged into him again. Sansho brought his fist out again in a wide swing - predictable. Yamcha ducked past him like before, opening with an open-palmed strike straight towards the jugular. He didn't realize his mistake until it was too late. Sansho's enormous fist reached past his strike and caught him straight in the throat, lifting him up off the ground.

"I enjoyed fighting you, Yamcha. Goodbye."

Sansho's fist collided with his gut, then a roundhouse kick connected with his chest, knocking all the wind out of him and sending him up into the air. Yamcha's mouth opened in a silent scream of pain, cursing his arrogance in thinking the same trick would work twice. He had to move, he had to get out of the way…

"Una Zhu Fire!" Sansho yelled as he extended his left arm.

The beam of red energy shot out from Sansho effortlessly, striking Yamcha directly in the chest. The last thing Yamcha saw was a blurry image of everything going red, and then it all went dark. An image of Bulma flashed into his mind one last time before he slipped into a dark, deep sleep.


End file.
